It’s not something you see all that often in harness racing. After all, the word “standard” makes up two-thirds of the word “standardbred”, and those standardbreds in what is probably 99 percent of the races in North America go a distance of one mile.
Well, The Meadowlands is going to shake things up a bit this weekend, and, quite possibly, down the road as well.
On Friday (March 14), the 13th race at The Big M will be conducted at five-eighths-of-a-mile, which figures to test horsemen and handicappers alike.
Meadowlands’ racing secretary Scott Warren says this is just a first small step toward what could possibly become something bigger.
“We’ve been kicking around the idea of a shorter-distance series,” said Warren. “Rather than do that right away, I decided to do it with a race for a couple of reasons. One, when going a shorter distance, you worry about safety, as it's a different style of racing.
“Another reason is wagering on the product. That’s the reason for this first week, the race was placed towards the end of the card where handle decreases some. I didn't want to put it in the heart of the program where wagering is strong. If we feel there is interest, I then wouldn't be opposed to moving the race to earlier on the program.
“If it goes over OK, I'm not opposed to writing more races or even a short series. We may also go in the other direction and write a longer distance race for trotters in the future.”
The sprint for TrackMaster 68 pacers features a pair of horses with good early speed, so they figure to take plenty of action at the windows.
Sargeant Sonny is the 3-1 morning-line favorite and will depart from post four with driver Tyler Miller. The Jose Ramos student has led for the first three-quarters of three of his last four races and looks like a logical public choice.
John Novello trains 7-2 second choice Gaius Crastinus, who will leave from post two with Braxten Boyd in the bike. He’s led at the half in each of his last two, so the action figures to be hot and heavy from the get-go in what figures to be an exciting dash.
“We are not now, or ever have been, afraid to try new things,” said track Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “The possibility of odd-distance racing is something we think our fan base might react well to. Our product has a level of unpredictability to begin with. When you add in races that are either shorter or longer than the one mile everyone is used to, you get an even more-competitive race where the outcome is tougher to predict. That’s what our fan base likes.”
A GRAND CONTEST: Calling all handicappers!
The third edition of the 2025 Meadowlands Monthly Handicapping contest takes place on Friday (March 14). The event, which takes place once a month, goes for prize money totaling $1,000.
For those interested in taking part, these are the details:
· There is a $1,000 prize pool and the top two finishers earn entry into a December invitation-only tournament that will go for $10,000 in prize money.
· Contestants must be on-site to participate.
· For complete information, and to enter, go here.
CELEBRATE ST. PATRICK’S DAY: On Saturday (March 15), come to the track and meet a pair of legendary Irish athletes when former New York Jets quarterback Ray Lucas and heavyweight boxing great Gerry Cooney will be on hand to say hello to fans.
Ask them about touchdowns and knockouts when a meet and greet takes place from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Clubhouse Lobby.
There will also be a celebratory St. Patrick’s Day race on the card, sponsored by Mary and Peter Grandich. Mr. Grandich is an author, financial advisor and horse owner, who, along with his wife, Lucas and Cooney, will make a presentation to the winning connections of the fourth race.