Meadowlands | Horse Racing Free Tips

COVID-19: 2021 World Harness Handicapping Championship Cancelled

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and people's uncertainty and uneasiness with traveling, the 2021 World Harness Handicapping Championship presented by DerbyWars.com has been cancelled.

Players that qualified for a seat through various outlets including the Meadowlands Survival Challenge, will be refunded the $1,300 tournament seat as a prize payout.

“After speaking with our players this was the best decision,” said Rachel Ryan, Director of Marketing and On-site Events for the Meadowlands Racetrack. “Many of our players are still uncomfortable traveling due to the pandemic. Hopefully we can restart the WHHC in 2022 and have a number of onsite tournaments that allow players to win their entry into the Final.”

WHHC updates will be posted at PlayMeadowlands.com.

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Standardbred Owners File Suit Against Gural, Meadowlands For Exclusion Due To Allard Association

The following statement was released by the Meadowlands, Tioga and Vernon Downs and Jeff Gural on Friday, Aug. 27.

The Meadowlands, Tioga and Vernon Downs and Jeff Gural have been named in a lawsuit initiated by a number of Standardbred owners who allege to have been excluded from racing at the three tracks as a result of their patronage of trainer Rene Allard.

Allard was among more than 30 racing related individuals indicted and arrested in March 2020 by the United States Department of Justice for offenses relating to the systematic and covert administration of illegal performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) to racehorses. He was later included in a superseding indictment filed in federal court in December 2020. The charges remain pending.

The plaintiffs named are Kapildeo Singh, Lawrence Dumain, Ira and Brian Wallach, Yves Sarrazin, Erlin Hill, Bruce Soulsby and Alan Weisenberg, who in their complaint admit that they have an interest in horses stabled by Allard in Florida over the winter of 2020-2021. The complaint alleges that the plaintiffs were the victims of a conspiracy by Gural to exclude their horses from racing at the three tracks to gain a “competitive advantage.”

“It's a little discouraging that when you're trying to clean up the drug problem, we now have to hire an expensive lawyer to defend us against this lawsuit, which essentially calls me dishonest,” said Meadowlands President Jeff Gural. “Worse yet, we get no cooperation from the horsemen who love to complain about the drugs but don't lift a finger to help us catch the perpetrators. The lawsuit is without merit. We will vigorously defend against these allegations and look forward to being vindicated in court.”

According to ustrottingnews.com, the complain was filed on Aug. 23 in the U.S. District Court Northern District of New York. An initial conference before Magistrate Judge Miroslav Lovric has been set for Nov. 24, 2021 at 10 a.m. via teleconference.

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All-Stakes Cross Country Pick 5 Featuring Whitney, Hambletonian Pays $699.25

An all-stakes cross-breed Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday paid $699.25 for selecting all five winners for the 50-cent wager. The total pool was $60,003. The wager, which featured thoroughbred racing from historic Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., also encompassed two prestigious harness races from the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J.

Thoroughbreds started the action when State of Rest won the $1 million Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational to capture the second leg of NYRA's Turf Triple series for 3-year-olds in Race 9 at the Spa. The Irish-bred State of Rest, trained by Joseph O'Brien and ridden by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, topped Solider Rising by one length in the 1 3/16-mile contest on the Mellon turf course in a final time of 1:53.35. Off at 21-1, State of Rest returned $44.20 on a $2 win wager.

Monmouth Park, located in Oceanport, New Jersey, hosted the $100,000 Tyro for juveniles going five furlongs on the turf in Race 12. Her World, an Irish bred trained by Wesley Ward, romped by six lengths as the even-money favorite, paying $3.80. Under jockey Paco Lopez, Her World completed the course in :56.62 seconds.

A unique wrinkle to the Cross County Pick 5 came in the third leg when standardbreds took center stage with the $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks in Race 14 at the Meadowlands. The prestigious race for 3-year-old fillies saw heavy favorite Bella Bellini win in rein to driver Dexter Dunn. The R. Nifty Norman trainee paid $3 to win in capturing the race for trotters.

Saratoga's feature, the 94th running of the $1 million Grade 1 Whitney in Race 10, saw Knicks Go surge to the front and go wire-to-wire to best the five-horse field under jockey Joel Rosario, who notched his second career Whitney victory. Trained by Brad Cox, Knicks Go won by 4 1/2 lengths as the favorite, paying $4.10, and hit the wire in the 1 1/8-mile contest in 1:47.70.

Standardbreds closed out the sequence when another favorite – Captain Corey – won the 96th running of the $1 million Hambletonian for 3-year-olds in Race 15 at the Meadowlands. Trainer and driver Ake Svanstedt led Captain Corey [$4.60] to victory in the one-mile stakes for trotters.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available on track, on ADW platforms, and at simulcast facilities across the country. Every week will feature a mandatory payout of the net pool.

The Cross Country Pick 5 will continue each Saturday throughout the year. For more information, visit NYRABets.com.

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NYRA Partners With Monmouth For All Graded Stakes Pick 6 On Saturday

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will offer a pair of unique wagering opportunities on Saturday featuring graded stakes action from Saratoga Race Course, including an all graded stakes $0.20 Pick 6 in partnership with Monmouth Park and a cross-breed Cross Country Pick 5 in tandem with Meadowlands.

The $0.20 Saratoga/Monmouth Pick 6, which will feature a low 15 percent takeout and mandatory payout, will include Saturday's Grade 3, $150,000 Sanford [Race 9, 5:40 p.m.], a six-furlong sprint for juveniles; and the Grade 1, $500,000 Diana [Race 10, 6:16 p.m.], a nine-furlong inner turf test for older fillies and mares from Saratoga.

FOX broadcast network (FOX) will present a special Opening Weekend show beginning at 5:30 p.m. Eastern, highlighted by the 83rd running of the Diana.

The $0.20 Saratoga/Monmouth Pick 6 Pick 6 will kick off with the Grade 3, $300,000 Monmouth Cup [Race 8, 3:29 p.m.] at nine furlongs for 3-year-olds and up; and include the Grade 3, $250,000 Molly Pitcher [Race 10, 4:38 p.m.], for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up at 1 1/16-miles on the main track; the Grade 1, $500,000 United Nations [Race 11, 5:12 p.m.], an 11-furlong turf test for 3-year-olds and up; and featuring the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell [Race 12, 5:47 p.m.] at nine-furlongs for sophomores.

$0.20 Pick 6 for Saturday, July 17
Leg A – Monmouth Park – Race 8, G3 Monmouth Cup, 3:29 p.m.
Leg B – Monmouth Park – Race 10, G3 Molly Pitcher, 4:38 p.m.
Leg C – Monmouth Park – Race 11, G1 United Nations, 5:12 p.m.
Leg D – Saratoga – Race 9, G3 Sanford, 5:40 p.m.
Leg E – Monmouth Park – Race 12, G1 Haskell, 5:47 p.m.
Leg F – Saratoga – Race 10, G1 Diana, 6:16 p.m.

Also being offered on Saturday's wagering menu is a cross-breed Cross Country Pick 5 in partnership with the Meadowlands, the harness racing track located in East Rutherford New Jersey.

Current New York State regulations allow NYRA to accept wagering only on standardbred races that take place in New York. As such, the cross-breed Cross Country Pick 5 will not be available on-track at Saratoga or to NYRA Bets customers located in New York State. The cross-breed Cross Country Pick 5 is available to NYRA Bets, LLC customers outside of New York State.

In addition to the Diana and Sanford, the cross-breed Cross Country Pick 5 will feature the $450,000 William Haughton Memorial [Race 7, 8:37 p.m.] for free-for-all pacers ages four and older; the $400,000 Hambletonian Maturity for 4-year-old trotters [Race 8, 9:05 p.m.]; and the $700,000 Meadowlands Pace [Race 9, 9:38 p.m.] for 3-year-old pacers at the Meadowlands.

The Meadowlands Pace will be broadcast live on a special edition of America's Day at the Races on FS2 from 8-10 p.m. Eastern.

The cross-breed Cross Country Pick 5, which will have a mandatory payout, features a 15 percent takeout and $0.50 base.

Cross-breed Cross Country Pick 5 for Saturday, July 17
Leg A – Saratoga – Race 9, G3 Sanford, 5:40 p.m.
Leg B – Saratoga – Race 10, G1 Diana, 6:16 p.m.
Leg C – Meadowlands – Race 7, William Haughton Memorial, 8:37 p.m.
Leg D – Meadowlands, Race 8, Hambletonian Maturity, 9:05 p.m.
Leg E – Meadowlands, Race 9, Meadowlands Pace, 9:38 p.m.

Free Equibase past performances for both sequences will be available for download at https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/cross-country-wagers.

First post at Saratoga on Saturday is 1:05 p.m. Eastern. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Saratoga Race Course, and the best way to bet every race of the 40-day summer meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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