Meadowlands: Remembering Pace history as the race hits 50 years

It was July of 1977. I graduated high school the previous month and was already a Northfield Park regular. Some of the railbirds were talking about this amazing new track (they called it The Swamp) that had opened the previous fall in New Jersey and that they were hosting a big race for 3-year-old-pacing colts.

My buddy Jay and I had already made plans to spend a week in August at The Meadows for the Adios, so I would be on my own, but I knew I had to take a road trip. I was on the road early on that July 12, checking into the lovely Motel 6 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and then making the 20-minute trip to the track. It was a time when Motel 6 was strictly no frills - you even had to pay to watch television.

It was my first time at M1, as we started to call it (a lot nicer than The Swamp), and I was impressed. I didn't get carded when I tried to buy a beer, and the caliber of horses was somewhat better than the horses I saw at Northfield. I remember the race was won by Escort with trainer/driver Carl LeCause, who I, frankly, had never heard of and don't think I ever did again. The purse was a very generous $212,500 and the winner paced in 1:54 4/5. For a half-mile track guy who rarely saw a two-minute mile, it was a show of speed I never thought I would see again. Boy was I wrong.

Two years later, the Meadowlands made a huge splash as the 1979 edition of the race carried a $750,000 purse and made headlines again in 1980, stating the race would carry a $1,000,000 purse (the actual purse ended up being $1,101,000, although I am not sure why; perhaps due to a supplement?). For the next 32 years, the Pace would carry at least a $1 million purse in all but two of them. The 1979 race was won by Sonsam and in the 1980 edition Niatross was the victor.

Something unusual happened in 1982 when John Campbell was the first catch driver to win the race, steering Hilarion to a win for Jerry Silverman. The first five Paces all had trainer/driver winners. After Campbell's win, a new trend would begin as catch drivers became the norm except for one more time. In 1990 Ray Remmen trained and drove Beach Towel to victory. No trainer/driver in the last 35 years has made it to the winner's circle.

In addition to Niatross's win, there have been several Meadowlands Paces where the purse was over $1,000,000. The richest was in 1984 when On The Road Again took home $646,500 (50% on the $1.293 million total purse) for driver Buddy Gilmour, trailer Harry Poulton and owners Gordon and Illa Rumpel. That broke the previous year's record $1,251,000 purse, of which the lion's share went to Ralph Hanover and Ron Waples. Stew Firlotte trained for Waples, who co-owned the colt with Pointsetta Stables and Grants Direct Stables.

While many trainers have been listed as owners, only Clint Galbraith (Niatross) and Rod Allen (Carlsbad Cam in 1992) share the honor with Waples as drivers who also shared an interest in the horse. Rod Allen and Carl Allen are the only son/father driver/trainers to be victorious, although an argument can be made for Wiggle It Jiggleit, who was driven by Montrell Teague and trained by Clyde Francis, although dad, George Teague Jr., was actively involved in managing the colt he owned.

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In 2019, Linda Toscano made history as the first female trainer to win the race. She conditioned Richard and Joanne Young's Best In Show to the victory that year, and Nancy Takter followed suit the next year, winning with Tall Dark Stranger, who was owned by Crawford Farms Racing, Marvin Katz, Caviart Farms and Howard Taylor. They remain the only two female conditioners to make it to the winner's circle.

The race has certainly had its share of controversy over the last decade. Last year, Prince Hal Hanover won the race but was disqualified and Madden Oaks was elevated to the win, while in 2021 Lawless Shadow was placed first when race-winner Charlie May was disqualified on a very controversial interference call where it appeared he had been interfered with first, which caused him to interfere with other horses. Litigation on that one continued for years. At one point a judge actually ruled Charlie May the winner, but that was later overturned, making him (technically) the only horse to be disqualified from the Meadowlands Pace twice.

This year? I am not sure what will happen. Although arguably the top two sophomore pacers - Odds On Mr Mamba and Beau Jangles - won't be in New Jersey, I think Legendary Hanover's stakes record of 1:46 3/5 (2024) may fall. After watching the elimination, it's hard not to pick Brandon Blvd, who was very sharp in the elimination, even though he could have taken a bye to the final. I think a horse to watch could be Ubrute. He was used twice, and it looked like Yannick Gingras was holding on for dear life around the final turn with a ton of horse and nowhere to go. He got the worst of the post draw, though. My sentimental choice is Azrael Blue Chip, trained by former HHYF student Besim Odza and owned by Charles Taylor's CT Stables.

One thing is sure. I am going to do my damndest to get back for another Meadowlands Pace before I die. Heck, the Motel 6 offers free TV now.

That's it for this time. No go cash, either on the Pace itself or the powerful undercard.