Meadowlands: Dave Brower remembered on stakes-packed Saturday card

This Saturday (July 1), the stakes season turns up the volume a little more at The Meadowlands with four events, one of which will honor Dave Brower, the longtime Big M TV personality whose death shocked the harness racing world last October.

In addition, Saturday’s races will be shown to a national television audience as part of the New York Racing Association’s (NYRA) “America’s Day at the Races” presentation, which can be seen on Fox Sports 2 (FS2) from 8-11 p.m. Jessica Otten and Gabe Prewitt will provide the harness commentary on the program that will also show Thoroughbred action from Charles Town.

This Fox Sports broadcast will be the first of three straight on Saturday nights that will showcase the competition at the No. 1 harness track in the world.

The first edition of the Brower Memorial – formerly the Roll With Joe – will be the final stakes dash of the night and sports a $158,140 purse for Open Pacers. The featured performers are Mohawk Gold Cup winner Abuckabett Hanover, who goes up against Ruthless Hanover, the fastest horse in the sport this year by virtue of a 1:46.3 clocking at Harrah’s Philadelphia last month.

Brower’s loss has clearly left some unhealed wounds.

“Dave Brower was an extraordinary talent,” said Big M Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “Where he really showcased his excellence was whenever there was adversity. How many countless times did something unexpected happen during a broadcast and how quickly Dave Brower could get everything back on the rails? Dave had so much passion and knowledge about everything and everybody in harness racing. He will always be missed and always in our hearts.”

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Brower, who served as lead TV personality, morning-line odds maker and program analyst at the mile oval for five years until his passing, would have loved to be a part of the Saturday program, as, in addition to the Open Pace named for him, also on tap are the $112,500 Six Pack for Open Mare Trotters (where 2022 Trotter of the Year Bella Bellini takes on Graduate favorite Jiggy Jog S), $142,260 Perfect Sting for Open Mare Pacers (where Grace Hill, perfect in five starts this year, takes on 2021 Horse of the Year Test Of Faith, who makes her seasonal debut) and $155,140 Crawford Farms Open Trot (where Cutler winner Venerate takes on It’s Academic, who was victorious at The Big M on Saturday in 1:51 3/5).

“People forget sometimes that it’s live TV,” said Brower, reflecting on his on-camera experiences at The Big M. “You only have one chance to get it right and when it comes down to it, we do. Our TV staff on both sides of the cameras are professionals and I couldn’t be prouder of what we are able to accomplish.”

“I met Dave Brower in the early 1990s, and he debuted on the Meadowlands’ TV show the year after I did, which was 1995,” said Brower’s longtime on-set partner, Dave Little. “You could tell right away that he was a special talent. And then he went out and proved it by doing many national Hambletonian shows during his career. I miss Dave terribly. We spent every Friday and Saturday together from four in the afternoon until midnight for five years. We shared things with each other that only close friends would. To say I miss him terribly is an understatement of grand proportion.”

-edited release (Meadowlands)