Shortened, all-turf meet opens Saturday at Meadowlands

Following a wet summer at Monmouth Park during which 80 of 231 scheduled grass races were moved to the main track, the beat has unfortunately continued into the Monmouth-at-Meadowlands all-turf meet. The Friday opener was canceled Tuesday due to wet course conditions.

The hope is that the Meadowlands season, which will now be five days, can get under way Saturday. First post is 7 p.m. Eastern.

It rained Sunday and Monday in northern New Jersey, and more precipitation was possible Wednesday and Thursday. Hurricane Florence was scheduled to come ashore in the Carolinas early Friday and could send rain and windy conditions north.

John Heims, the director of racing at Monmouth and the Meadowlands, said the cancellation was necessary because the course would not have dried out before Friday, even though it had been rolled several times to push moisture from it.

Although the turf is wet, it “is in perfect condition,” according to Heims. This meet is the only time during the year the Meadowlands grass course is used.

The six-race cards provide North Jersey residents with their only annual live Thoroughbred racing. Cards are scheduled for Fridays and Saturdays through Sept. 29 at the comfortable Meadowlands facility, which operates as a harness track, simulcast center, and sportsbook the remainder of the year.

Daily purses will average approximately $120,000.

The Meadowlands schedule has varied over the years. In 2017, there were eight all-turf dates. Six-race cards were run Fridays and Saturdays over the final two weekends in September, and eight-race cards were offered on Saturdays in October, concluding Oct. 28.

The Meadowlands races were well received, with handle on the eight-race cards ranging from $1.5 million to $1.68 million. Remarkably, there were no cancellations, with the course listed as firm seven days and “good” on the other.

The meet attracts a mixed-bag of horsemen and riders from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and Delaware.