Harness: Early details on a stakes-filled Meadowlands Pace card

The $2.7 million Meadowlands Pace card leads a stakes-laden weekend of Grand Circuit racing at The Meadowlands with a special 6:35 pm on Saturday.

The $701,800 Pace has 10 of the finest sophomore colts heading postward led by last week's elimination winners Courtly Choice and Stay Hungry.

The supporting stakes pretty much all filled up to the max with the WR Haughton Memorial, Golden Girls and Mistletoe Shalee all fielding a dozen horses at the route distance at a mile and one eighth. Virtually all of the division leaders are listed among the entrants.

The Hambletonian Maturity has drawn nine led by Ariana G in fresh off her amazing 1:50 2/5 World Record romp in last week's Graduate final.

The leading preps for the upcoming August 4 Hambletonian and companion Oaks stakes filled with the logical contenders.

The Stanley Dancer Memorial for colts will split at 16 boasting both O'Brien award winner Alarm Detector and Dan Patch winner Fourth Dimension as well as Wolfgang fronting a half-dozen from Jimmy Takter's loaded barn.

The Del Miller for fillies drew 14 featuring Manchego's return to racing against the girls. Depending on how the races split into seven-horse fields, she may face the potent duo of Phaetosive and Seviyorum coming off track record efforts at Harrahs. For the record, Atlanta was not eligible to the Miller.

Last but certainly not least comes the Miss Versatility, composed of 13 (2 div) older trotting mares including the magnificent Hannelore Hanover, where the bakers dozen will compete for money and points toward the final on Jug Day in Delaware.

Friday's card features the New Jersey Sires Stakes finals with full fields of 10 in both trots and the first leg of the Kindergarten Series for trotters. There is also a Pick 5 carryover of $28,976 and a mandatory payout of the Jackpot Hi-5 with the pool currently at $276,939.

-edited release (Meadowlands)