Harness: 2020 Hambletonian set for August 8
The milestone 95th Hambletonian will be raced on Saturday, August 8 at The New Meadowlands in Rutherford, NJ.
Though traditionally scheduled on the first Saturday in August, every six years the event moves to the second Saturday, as is the case in 2020. The Meadowlands has been the longest-running host track of America’s Classic Trotting event, having staged the race for the last 38 years since the Society voted to relocate from the Du Quoin State Fair in Illinois in 1981. The partners recently extended their contract to host the Hambletonian through 2023.
The $1.2 million event will revert to elimination heats raced the week before on Saturday, August 1, along with the eliminations for the distaff companion event, the $600,000 Hambletonian Oaks. The race is simulcast internationally and attracts record wagering handle and attendance at the north Jersey track.
The Hambletonian has undergone multiple format changes and been raced at six host tracks since 1926. The Hambletonian is the first leg of the trotting Triple Crown, followed by the Yonkers Trot in Yonkers, NY and the Kentucky Futurity in Lexington, KY. It is currently the only harness racing broadcast on network TV, and has been for more than 30 years.
The $400,000 Hambletonian Maturity, for eligible 4-year-old trotters, will be raced on Saturday, July 18, the night of the Meadowlands Pace.
For more information contact Moira Fanning at the Hambletonian Society (609-371-2211) or Rachel Ryan at the Meadowlands Racetrack (201-842-5015).