Entries have been taken for one of the biggest nights of the harness racing season with the Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace highlighting a full slate of Grand Circuit events at the Meadowlands Racetrack on Saturday, July 16.
‘The Greatest Party in Harness Racing’ will begin at a special early post time of 6:30 p.m.
’The Pace’ has been drawn and a competitive group of ten top sophomores, led by Racing Hill and Control The Moment, will battle for $732,050 and the trophy.
The $471,800 WR Haughton Memorial FFA pace drew the maximum of 12 entries, including the ‘big three’ of Always B Miki, Freaky Feet Pete and Wiggle It Jiggleit. The bulky field activates the clause in the stakes’ condition that calls for the race to be contested at the distance of a mile and one eighth.
The $223,150 Golden Girls FFA mares pace also maxed out with a dozen of the finest distaffers, led by last year’s winner, the ageless Anndrovette, and back-to-back Roses Are Red Stakes winner Lady Shadow, set to go the route distance of one and one-eighth miles.
Three-year-old trotters will prepare for the August 6 Hambletonian with the $300,000 Stanley Dancer Memorial, which split into a pair of 11 colt and gelding fields, again at a mile and an eighth. Hambletonian winter book favourite Southwind Frank is listed among the entrants.
The $190,000 filly companion stakes event, known as the Del Miller Memorial, split into divisions of six and seven at one mile, with division leaders All The Time and Broadway Donna named in to the event.
The third leg of the Miss Versatility has eight older trotting mares declared in to race for $40,000.
The $471,000 Hambletonian Maturity also came up big with 11 four-year-olds, including supplemental entry Hannelore Hanover set to go a mile and an eighth on Saturday.
‘Pace Night’ promises to be one for the ages with the staggering amount of horse power on the racetrack, and it will be enhanced by the $267,769 Jackpot Super Hi-5 wager that has been ‘on ice’ waiting for just this occasion.
The races will be drawn by approximately 5:00 p.m. today (Monday, July 11).
(Meadowlands Racetrack)