Meadowlands Racetrack is in East Rutherford, New Jersey and it has been hosting races since 1976. It is home to both harness and thoroughbred horse racing. There is racing taking place all across the year and the facility is wide-ranging in itself, with many restaurants and bars attached to it. It hosts a number of notable races and it is a popular draw for people in the local area.
Ticket Prices at Meadowlands Racetrack
For those attending racing at the Meadowlands Racetrack, general admission is free. If you want to avail of valet parking, it will be $5 but general parking is also free. If you want to buy a racing program on Friday and Saturday meets, this will cost you $2.
Course Details
The main track is dirt and is a mile in length. There is also a turf course that lies inside of the dirt track and is seven furlongs in length. The width is about standard for tracks in the United States.
The majority of racing at the Meadowlands Racetrack takes place at nighttime. There is a lake in the centre of the rack. This is supposed to be designed in the shape of the state of New Jersey.
Meadowlands Racetrack has a reputation for being a home for very fast times for harness racing. This is mainly due to the curves that are sweeping and the wide stretches. The facility is under the operation of Meadowlands Racetrack LLC and Jeff Gural is the chairman and CEO since December 2011. The main race caller is Ken Warkentin.
Tactics to Consider
Many speed records have been broken around Meadowlands Racetrack due to the wide stretches. Therefore, horses that are speedy are preferred over those that rely more so on their stamina.
Track History
The first harness race at Meadowlands Racetrack was in September 1976, with thoroughbred racing beginning the following year. Fast times of harness racing have been set again and again at Meadowlands Racetrack.
On the opening night of racing, the fastest harness race mile was set. The current world record fastest mile time for a standardbred horse in a race was set at the track in 2006.
Attempts over the year have been made to convert Meadowlands Racetrack into a short track for NASCAR racing due to its proximity to New York City. However, the efforts have not proven to be successful to date. It was in 2010 that the New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was considering leasing or selling the track to a private operator or completely closing it.
It was in December 2011 that the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority privatized the facility. This saw $110 million worth of investment going into improving the facility. This included a new 2,250 seater grandstand on the backstretch. The old grandstand was shut in November 2013 and the first race with the new grandstand took place on November 23, 2012. On that day, there were more than 15,000 people at the track. In 2018, there was a motorcycle racing event that took place at the track.
Since June 2019, Meadowlands Racetrack has been partnered with Paddy Power Betfair for its sports betting operations. This sportsbook opened in July 2018 under the FanDuel brand, operating both a retail sportsbook at the track and having an online sportsbook. This has been a lucrative source of revenue for the Meadowlands Racetrack ever since.
Biggest Races
There are a few different major events that take place at the Meadowlands Racetrack every season. The Hambletonian is the initial leg of the Trotting Triple Crown and has been taking place since 1981. The Cane Pace is another notable race that is the first part of the Pacing Triple Crown for harness racing since 2015. Both of these races take place on the same racing program.
Some of the Grade III races that are run at the Meadowlands Racetrack include the:
- Meadowlands Cup,
- Cliff Hanger Stakes,
- Pegasus Stakes and
- the Violet Handicap.
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