-edited release (Meadowlands) The next-to-last weekend of racing at The Meadowlands means the impending conclusion of the Championship Meet has wall-to-wall stakes events certain to get harness fans’ hearts racing, with the highlighted contests coming on Saturday (July 29) when eliminations for the $1-million Hambletonian and $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks take place. While Saturday offers much to both the racing fan and the foodie, Friday is one for the bettor as the 14-race card will be highlighted by a carryover on the Early 10-cent Hi-5. There were no winning tickets sold last Saturday on the seventh race Hi-5, creating a carryover of $14,932. These carryovers are such a big opportunity for the player, and the mathematics prove that. In the event there is $99,000 or less in “new money” wagered into the pool, bettors will be trying to make a score in a pot with a “negative takeout”, meaning that winning tickets will pay out more money that what will be bet on Friday, with the carryover soaking up the “rake”. THE FIELDS: These are the fields for the Hambletonian and Hambletonian Oaks eliminations that will take place Saturday night at The Meadowlands, with post position, horse, driver (with late changes), trainer and morning-line odds. Horses who are in the top five in the official order of finish will qualify for their respective finals, which will be contested on Saturday, Aug. 5. HAMBLETONIAN – First Elimination (Race 6) PP – Horse – Driver – Trainer – Morning Line 1 – Osceola – Doug McNair – Gregg McNair – 20-1 2 – Oh Well – Tim Tetrick – Marcus Melander – 2-1 3 – Ghostly Casper – David Miller – Benoit Baillargeon – 15-1 4 – Djimon – Bob McClure – Shawn Steacy – 30-1 5 – Kierkegaard K – Ake Svanstedt – Ake Svanstedt – 7-2 6 – Point Of Perfect – Yannick Gingras – Ron Burke – 8-1 7 – Little Expensive – Andy Miller – Julie Miller – 10-1 8 – Southwind Coors – James MacDonald – Matt Bax – 5-1 9 – Gaines Hanover – Louis Roy – Claude Cadieux – 9-2 10 – Kilmister – Brian Sears – Marcus Melander – 12-1 HAMBLETONIAN – Second Elimination (Race 9) PP – Horse – Driver – Trainer – Morning Line 1 – Tuscan Prince – Louis Roy – Luc Blais – 10-1 2 – Crown – Brian Sears – Marcus Melander – 20-1 3 – Up Your Deo – Ake Svanstedt – Ake Svanstedt – 7-2 4 – French Wine – Andy Miller – Julie Miller – 15-1 5 – Celebrity Bambino – Yannick Gingras – Ron Burke – 9-2 6 – Air Power – Orjan Kihlstrom – Marcus Melander – 5-2 7 – One Hundred Poof – Matt Kakaley – Jenny Melander – 30-1 8 – Tactical Approach – Scott Zeron – Nancy Takter – 5-1 9 – Excalibur Bi – Andrew McCarthy – Tom Cancelliere – 15-1 10 – Winner’s Bet – Dexter Dunn – Domenico Cecere – 4-1 HAMBLETONIAN OAKS – First Elimination (Race 7) PP – Horse – Driver – Trainer – Morning Line 1 – Gigi Hanover – Ake Svanstedt – Ake Svanstedt – 12-1 2 – Heaven Hanover – Tim Tetrick – Marcus Melander – 3-1 3 – Instagram Model – Andrew McCarthy – Annie Stoebe – 5-2 4 – Mambacita – Scott Zeron – Tony Alagna – 8-1 5 – Railee Something – Yannick Gingras – Ron Burke – 2-1 6 – Walner Payton – Dexter Dunn – Chris Ryder – 6-1 7 – Wild Jiggy S – Mark MacDonald – Ake Svanstedt – 15-1 8 – Warrawee Yes – Bob McClure – Shawn Steacy – 20-1 HAMBLETONIAN OAKS – Second Elimination (Race 8) PP – Horse – Driver – Trainer – Morning Line 1 – Bond – Ake Svanstedt – Ake Svanstedt – 5-2 2 – Pure Hope S – Mark MacDonald – Ake Svanstedt – 20-1 3 – Quick Stop – Tim Tetrick – Anette Lorentzon – 4-1 4 – Bella Macchiato – Dexter Dunn – Nancy Takter – 10-1 5 – Heart On Fire – Todd McCarthy – Tony Alagna – 12-1 6 – Secret Volo – Brian Sears – Marcus Melander – 9-2 7 – Kayleigh S – David Miller – Marcus Melander – 20-1 8 – Righteous Resolve – James MacDonald – Matt Bax – 2-1 THE BIG DAY: Hambletonian Day brings the curtain down on the track’s Championship Meet on Saturday, Aug. 5, with the biggest race card the sport offers. The first of 16 races will head to the gate at noon. The Big M’s live pregame show will begin at 11:30 a.m. and all of the action from start to finish can be seen on Racetrack Television Network (rtn.tv), as well as The Meadowlands Facebook and Youtube pages. Live coverage of the Hambletonian (post time, 4:45 p.m.) will be shown to a national television audience on FOX SPORTS (WNYW-Ch. 5; FOX 5 New York) as part of the “Saratoga Saturday” broadcast that will also show the Whitney Stakes (post time, 5:43 p.m.) from Saratoga. The show is put together by the TV team at the New York Racing Association (NYRA). But that’s not all the stakes action that will be seen coast-to-coast. There will be a second show, this one to be broadcast on Fox Sports 2 (FS2). “Saratoga Live” begins at 6 p.m. and will feature the Hambletonian Oaks (post time, 6:30 p.m.) as well as the final two races of the day at The Spa. Big M TV’s Jessica Otten and Gabe Prewitt will be providing the commentary on The Meadowlands events. NATIONAL EXPOSURE: The remaining schedule for when Meadowlands’ races will be shown on either FOX, FS1 or FS2 is as follows (with highlighted races): ·  Saturday, Aug. 5 (FOX, 3-6 p.m.; FS2, 6-7 p.m., Hambletonian and Hambletonian Oaks, plus other stakes events for total purses of $3.5 million) ·  Sunday, Aug. 6 (Hambletonian replay show on CBS Sports Network, 2 p.m.) ·  Friday, Sept. 8 (FS1, 9-11 p.m.; New Jersey Classic Series finals) “All of us at The Meadowlands have been so pleased with the partnership we have with the TV crew at The New York Racing Association (NYRA),” said Settlemoir. “They, along with the team at Fox Sports, put out a first-rate product on a show that is normally seen, in large part, by a Thoroughbred-centric audience. These shows have helped us display our competitive harness races to a fan base who now might be more likely to follow harness racing in addition to the runners.” IMPRESSIVE STAKES MENU: While you enjoy your food, feast on these stakes events that will take place (purses are estimated) during the card: the $1-million Hambletonian, $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks, $300,000 John Cashman Memorial, $275,000 Cane Pace, $275,000 Sam McKee Memorial, $175,000 Lady Liberty, $175,000 John R. Steele and $90,000 Shady Daisy. SEAFOOD FEST: The Hambletonian and Hambletonian Oaks eliminations take place on Saturday, July 29, and the perfect meal to compliment such good racing can be found at the track’s “Seafood Fest”. Enjoy fresh and delicious seafood from area food trucks and restaurants from 5-11 p.m. Some other food options include lobster rolls, fried clams, fried fish, grilled shrimp, shrimp tacos, crab fries and more. Among the food trucks expected to be on hand include Angry Archies (Jersey City-based food truck), Clyde’s Homemade Italian Ice and Ice Cream, Latin Bites, Cat Like Reflexes, Antojitos de mi Tierra, Green Dog Mobile, Rod’s Fish N Chips, The Mozzarella God, DAW Concessions, Magic Mike’s Smoked Meats, The Original Golden Brown and Michael’s Backyard BBQ. CASINO AND POKER NIGHT: The Hambletonian Charity Casino and Poker Night takes place on Friday, Aug. 4, and is presented by the Standardbred Retirement Foundation and the Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame. There will be a poker tournament, table games, a silent auction and much more. The evening gets underway at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are priced at $125 for a Casino Guest ($150 at the door), and includes dinner, dessert, bar and $50 in casino chips (additional casino chips may be purchased at any time), and $175 for the “Exacta Special” ($200 at the door) which gets one a Casino Guest and a Poker Seat. The timeline for the night: · 6:30 p.m.: Dinner, open bar and casino tables open · 7:15 p.m.: Poker tournament (Enter before 7:15 p.m./$150 buy-in = $3,000 in chips to start. Grand Prize: Trip for two to Las Vegas, including hotel and airfare. Second place: $300. Third place: $150.) · 9:15 p.m.: Silent auction closes; casino tables close · 9:30 p.m.: Bar closes; raffle winners drawn There are sponsorships available. For more details, go to 2023 Casino Night (adoptahorse.org) To purchase tickets, go to Hambletonian Charity Casino Night Tickets in East Rutherford, NJ, United States (ticketleap.com)