Meadowlands: Big M Stakes purses continue positive climb

As the No. 1 harness track in the industry, there are things that owners, breeders, drivers and trainers – not to mention fans – expect from The Meadowlands.

The best drivers and trainers sending out the best horses who go at it in the sport’s most impactful stakes events offering huge purses.

One thing they might not have expected – given the economic climate in America – is for purses of its biggest races to increase year after year.

But that is precisely what is going on at the mile oval.

During 2024, not including the Breeders Crown, which rotates from venue-to-venue every year, Big M stakes purses totaled $17.2 million. That’s a pretty good haul. But things would only get better.

This year, that number rose to $17.6 million, an increase of $400,000, but that upgrade pales with what’s coming up in 2026.

During the upcoming calendar year, stakes purses at The Meadowlands will total $18.6 million, an increase of a cool $1 million, with several of the more famous events getting a boost.

Assuming all nominations and stakes payments are the same, the purse of the Cane Pace will go from $227,000 to $300,000 while the Del Miller Memorial will jump from $283,000 to $338,000.

There are several other events where the money will be greater, but one race that matters more than any other is the track’s signature event, the Meadowlands Pace.

One of the most influential stakes races for the glamour boy 3-year-old male pacing division, The Pace went for $656,000 in 2025. In ’26, it will go for $806,000 – an increase of 23 percent – in the event there are no eliminations for a second straight year, which would represent the biggest purse in North America for a pacing event.

Clearly, The Meadowlands remains the place to race for those with the best horses in the game.

“All of us at The Meadowlands are always pleased to offer the very best in harness racing when it comes to the big days, and the purses for those races confirms that,” said track Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “And we hope that continues for a long time to come.

“Something new we’ll be offering in 2026 is a second level – for horses of a more modest caliber – for New Jersey Sire Stakes participants, giving those owners a chance to race their horses who might not be good enough to go in the tougher division to still race and make some good money.”

The NJSS “Silver Series” will be for those lesser-caliber 2- and 3-year-olds, and will offer total purses of $670,000, with the possibility of that number increasing to $750,000.

The better horses will go in the NJSS “Platinum Series” and compete for purses totaling $2.7 million.

-release (Dave Little, Meadowlands Media Relations)