Harness: Meadowlands hosts King Remembrance Race on Saturday

The Meadowlands Racetrack will host its fourth edition of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Remembrance Race on Saturday (Jan. 16). The 10-horse $15,000 pace, which features African American drivers, is race No. 2 on the card with a 6:22 p.m. post time.

Among this year's drivers are Montrell Teague, who won the event in 2018 and 2020, and 2019 winner Jim King Solomon.

The race honors the memory of slain civil rights leader King, who was born Jan. 15, 1929.

"This means a lot to me," said Solomon, who has worked with Meadowlands race secretaries Peter Koch and Scott Warren over the years to help organize the event. "To be part of a race like this, to have them put it together, I'm very honored. This is for everyone, for all people.

"Dr. King was a great man who stood for equal rights, not only for Black Americans but for all races where there was injustice. It's an honor to even be a part of keeping his memory alive."

Teague will start the race from post 10 with Rufo. Teague, who turned 30 earlier this month, was harness racing's 2015 Rising Star Award winner. He was the driver of 2015 Horse of the Year and fan favorite Wiggle It Jiggleit and has won 1,602 races in his career.

Solomon, who recently returned to action after ankle surgery, starts Saturday from post two with Duckies Dynasty. Solomon also won an edition of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Pace at Monticello Raceway in 2009. He remembers the details.

"It was very cold," Solomon said about the snowy 12-degree day in upstate New York. "I put my horse on the front, backed him down a little bit, and then came on home with him. It was a great thrill."

The remaining eight drivers participating in Saturday's King Remembrance Race are Randy Crisler, Eric Tharps Jr., Orlando Greene, Deshawn Sample, Mark Sheridan, Jamaal Denson, Devon Tharps, and Chad Washington.

Washington finished second in the past two editions of the race. Sheridan finished third in the previous two.

"We've got good drivers, good horses," Solomon said. "This is going to be a very good race."

-edited release (USTA Media Relations)