Meadowlands: Gural discusses new $1,000,000 Meadowlands Trot

Sometimes a perceived negative can be a positive. That will seemingly be the case after the announcement that the Meadowlands, fresh off losing the prestigious Grade 1 Hambletonian and some companion races to Harrah's Hoosier Park, will create new signature events to take its place.

Dubbed the Meadowlands Trot, the new $1,000,000 race will offer an increased opportunity for a big payday to owners of elite 3-year-old trotters in 2027. The race will be complimented by a companion filly event - Meadowlands Oaks Trot - with a $500,000 purse, thus filling the same hole on the Meadowlands stakes schedule made by the loss of the Hambletonian.

While still upset at the Hambletonian Society for moving the races from his track, Meadowlands Chairman and CEO Jeff Gural is committed to keeping the stakes schedule at an elite level during the championship meet at the Meadowlands. To help accomplish that he'll reach into his own pocket while continuing to ask for industry support.

"I'm going to sponsor the Meadowlands Trot and try to get people to sponsor the other stakes," said Gural, who will put up $150,000 via his Allerage Farms.

According to Gural, the Meadowlands was paying $1.2 million to have the Hambletonian and Oaks, and that money will also help to fund the new Meadowlands Trot, as well as some enhancements to the already existing stakes. The Stanley Dancer and Del Miller for 3-year-old trotters will switch to an elimination/final format from its current split-divisions setup. Those finals are estimated to go for $400,000 each.

"My goal is to get people who are looking to win big races to see the Dancer and the Del Miller as the start of the [3-year-old trotting] season. Kind of the way it used to be," said Gural, who added that the finals for those races will be on Meadowlands Pace night, along with $400,000 (est.) boosted finals for the Graduate Trot and Pace for 4-year-olds, as well as the return of $200,000 (est.) divisions for mares of both gaits.

The second leg of the Pacing Triple Crown – the Cane Pace – will also get a purse boost to $500,000 (est.) in an effort to revitalize a race that has seen short fields in recent years. It will be contested as a single dash for the cash alongside the Meadowlands Trot during what will be a July to remember at the New Jersey oval.

Gural shared the schedule in 2027 of July 3 for Meadowlands Pace/Dancer/Del Miller eliminations with finals on July 10 along with the Graduate series conclusion. Eliminations for the Meadowlands Trot will occur on July 24 and the final will be on the afternoon of July 31 with the Cane Pace and all of the other former Hambletonian Day trimmings, like the Sam McKee Memorial, John Cashman Memorial, and many others.

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That scheduling likely means the Hambletonian and Oaks finals, which have historically been contested on the first Saturday in August except when that day is August 1, will be pushed back at least a week to August 14 next year in order to avoid a major conflict. When reached for comment, Harrah's Hoosier Park Vice President and General Manager Gabe Prewitt said a date has not been finalized.

A major question remains how the Meadowlands Trot will be received and what value owners and trainers will place on winning it versus the Hambletonian. The Meadowlands Trot will offer a lower cost to participate in 2027, with a $3,000 payment due in February and a $10,000 starting fee. After that the 3-year-old payment will be $2,000 and a 2-year-old payment will be introduced. The Hambletonian in 2026 cost $17,525 to compete (includes $25 yearling payment).

"I don't know. It probably won't," responded Gural when asked if the Meadowlands Trot would have the same allure as the Hambletonian. "I don't think they'll skip my race because I think that foreign guys like to come to the Meadowlands."

The elephant in the room when it comes to the Meadowlands is whether it will get a casino and how long Gural will continue the fight for his white whale in the Garden State. The proprietor has been uncharacteristically optimistic over the last few months and seems very committed to staying the course when it comes to the casino, as well as the high-quality racing.

"I would say 2027 and 2028 are a bare minimum," said Gural when asked how long the new races would last. "I'm going to get a casino; I'm not worried about it. And when I do, I'll revitalize the Meadowlands."

While Southwind Farms recently announced that it will cease operations, Deo Volente Farms is still marching on in New Jersey. Owner Mike Gulotta admitted that he can't predict the future, but he wasn't expecting to do anything drastic at this point and remains positive about the path forward for racing and breeding in New Jersey.

"I'm optimistic that New Jersey will come out of this in a better position than it was before," said Gulotta about the loss of the Hambletonian. "The state government makes money on the racing industry in New Jersey. The $75 million of tax revenue that [the State] collects, they only put out $20 million through the purse appropriation. That's a pretty good deal. You think the state wants to lose that? You think the state wants to lose 3,000 jobs? You think the state wants real estate values to decline because people leave New Jersey?"

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While there have been comments from trainers on social media expressing that they will consider leaving New Jersey given the circumstances and the explosion of the racing programs in Ohio and Kentucky, Gural feels that would be a poor decision.

"I think they'd be foolish, but, you know, it's a big business," said Gural.

The revised stakes program is being done in partnership with the Standardbred Breeders Association of New Jersey and with that comes some nice hometown perks. Any New Jersey-sired horse that wins the Dancer, Miller, Meadowlands Trot, Meadowlands Oaks Trot, Cane Pace or any of the Graduates will receive a 20 percent bonus if they are a New Jersey-sired. Ten percent will be paid by Gural and Allerage Farms, while the other 10 percent will come from the purse account.

Nancy Grbelja, Chairwoman of the NJ Sire Stakes Board of Trustees and horse owner, also remains very hopeful that despite some recent bumps in the road, the State racing and breeding industry isn't on the downtrend.

"Maybe it was just a wake-up call for people in New Jersey to get their act together," said Grbelja. "I'm hoping that the stallions will stay. I think that we have a robust New Jersey Sire Stakes program.

"We just recently sent a letter to the stallion owners encouraging them to keep their stallions in New Jersey because we are certainly working with the State and all of the stakeholders to try and offer some things that would be advantageous for the breeding program in New Jersey, for their stallions, as well as mares that are bred in New Jersey," continued Grbelja.

The long-term future of racing in New Jersey may not have the same short-term appeal as the thriving Midwest states, but for now the situation seems stable. There is potential downside but also great upside if a casino enters the equation. Ultimately, the decision of the people of New Jersey in the coming years will determine the fate of the State's racing and breeding industry for perhaps decades to come.