Sunday (Feb. 23) night at Rosen Centre in Orlando, FL, harness racing’s 2024 best will be honored at the annual Dan Patch Awards dinner ...
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ -- February 20, 2025 -- Sunday (Feb. 23) night at Rosen Centre in Orlando, FL, harness racing’s 2024 best will be honored at the annual Dan Patch Awards dinner.
Owners, breeders, trainers and drivers will walk away with the hardware recognizing them as the best of the best from a year ago. Obviously, this night will also be about the equine superstars who stood above the rest in their respective divisions.
When the topic is the best horses, it leads to the best and most lucrative races, and when the topic is the biggest and best stakes events the game offers, The Meadowlands stands at the head of the class.
Here is a list of the 12 divisional champions, and how racing at the mile oval impacted their Dan Patch Award-winning seasons:
· 2-year-old male trotter – Maryland: His seasonal bankroll of $1.22 million led the sport, allowing him to become the first in his division to lead the game in money earnings in more than 70 years. He won three times at The Big M, with the final two victories of his six-win season coming in the $700,000 Breeders Crown and $173,300 Kindergarten.
· 2-year-old female trotter – Champagne Problems: Five of her seven wins this year came at The Meadowlands, which included the $240,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes final and $243,400 Kindergarten.
· 3-year-old male trotter – Sig Sauer: He burst onto the scene with a 68-1 upset of eventual Hambletonian champion Karl in the $135,000 Stanley Dancer Memorial and capped his year off by winning the $600,000 Breeders Crown, giving him three wins – out of a total of five – at the mile oval on the year.
· 3-year-old female trotter – Allegiant: Had a total of six wins, half which came in East Rutherford. The first came in a Hambletonian Oaks elimination before she took both her elimination as well as the $600,000 Breeders Crown final.
· Older male trotter – Winner’s Bet: Six of his nine wins came at The Meadowlands, including the $230,000 Graduate and $600,000 Breeders Crown.
· Older female trotter – Jiggy Jog S: A generational talent whose name will go down in history with others like Atlanta and Bella Bellini, she was perfect in six seasonal tries before an injury ended her career. She began her 2024 with wins at The Big M in the $145,150 Cutler Memorial, $112,500 Six Pack and $282,000 Cashman Memorial.
· 2-year-old male pacer – Louprint: A seven-time winner during 2024, he only made it out to New Jersey for the Breeders Crown, but made it count. After finishing third in his elimination, he came back and won the $700,000 final.
· 2-year-old female pacer – Miki And Minnie: After beginning the year with four straight second-place finishes, she won six of her last seven outings, with two of those coming at The Big M. The first in the $700,000 Breeders Crown and the second in the $338,200 Three Diamonds.
· 3-year-old male pacer – Captain Albano: Headquartered in New Jersey in the barn of Trainer of the Year Noel Daley, the 12-time winner during 2024 participated in both the eliminations and final of the Meadowlands Pace and Breeders Crown. A second-place finish in his Pace elimination and a win in his Crown elimination was as good as it would get for this Little Brown Jug champion, who will return to the races in 2025, which will likely include a handful of Big M starts.
· 3-year-old female pacer – My Girl E J: A winner of half of her 18 starts last year, this mid-November $758,000 acquisition (on the Preferred Equine Online Mixed Sale) by William Pollock, Bruce Areman and trainer Andrew Harris hit paydirt at The Big M twice, in her Breeders Crown elimination and $600,000 final.
· Older male pacer – Abuckabett Hanover: The horse known as “Bucky” in his barn won seven races on the season while swimming in the shark-infested waters known as the older male pacing division. He won three times at The Big M, scoring in the $152,190 Dave Brower Memorial, $428,000 William Haughton Memorial and $325,000 FanDuel Championship.
· Older female pacer – Twin B Joe Fresh: The Horse of the Year favorite went 11-for-13 with two seconds during a spectacular campaign. Her five Meadowlands victories came in the $112,500 Perfect Sting, $140,000 Dorothy Haughton Memorial, $146,000 Lady Liberty, $400,000 Breeders Crown and $150,000 FanDuel Championship.
The 12 divisional winners are known. What’s not known is who the Pacer, Trotter and Horse of the Year will be. You can see who will walk away with that hardware by going to the live stream of the Dan Patch Awards dinner. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. (red carpet at 5:30 p.m.) on Sunday, and to get to the link, go to ustrotting.com.
FREE PPs: To show appreciation to its loyal fan base, The Meadowlands offers free program pages for every race of every race card on its website.
Go to playmeadowlands.com to get the past performances at absolutely no cost.
THE SCHEDULE: During the month of February, live racing will be conducted every Friday and Saturday with a first-race post-time of 6:20 p.m.
CHECK OUT THE SHOW: Check out the live “Racing from The Meadowlands” pregame show at 5:45 p.m. on Friday when track announcer Ken Warkentin opens up the mic with a scene set and program changes.
Saturday will bring a different sound to the announcer’s booth, as the voice of Harrah’s Philadelphia, Mike Bozich, will be in town pinch-hitting for Warkentin.
This weekend, Standardbred Canada’s John Rallis and The Big M’s Andrew “Shades” Demsky will be on the Sam McKee Memorial Broadcast Set, from where the duo will provide news, notes, selections and a look at the night’s featured races.
Joe Romanelli will handle interviews from the back paddock while Meadowlands’ winner’s circle host Gary DiLeo will provide commentary and selections on the FanDuel Television (FDTV) feed.
EIGHT IS ENOUGH FOR LITTLE: Veteran Big M TV personality Dave Little was on target Saturday (Feb. 15) night, selecting eight winners during the 14-race program.
Little’s highlight reel included the third race Exacta ($17.80) and Trifecta ($88.80); best bet winner Ignatius A ($2.80) in the fourth; and the ninth race Exacta ($11.20) and Trifecta ($36.60).
Late arrivals got the best of Little, when he tabbed the winner of the 13th race (Sweet Ideal), who returned $10.80 to win and topped a cold $55 Exacta.
Finally, for those who played “Little’s Late Double”, the winning combination of 9-8 returned $27.20.
THE BILL OF FARE: Every night, The Meadowlands offers a marvelous menu of popular wagers that offer a low 15 percent takeout.
They are:
· 20-cent Pick-5: Race 1-5
· 20-cent Survivor Pick-7:Races 3-9 (mandatory payout nightly)
· 50-cent Pick-4: Races 6-9 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
· 20-cent Pick-6: Races 8-13
· 50-cent Pick 4: Races 10-13 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
· 10-cent non-jackpot Pentafecta (Hi-5): Race 14
TIME TO GET SOCIAL: Everything Meadowlands is available by going on X. You can check in with the Big M team for early changes, racing information and staff selections by going to @themeadowlands or #playbigm.
Stay in touch with The Big M team of Jessica Otten (@JessicaOtten1), Little (@DaveLittleBigM) and Warkentin (@kenvoiceover).
GRASSO’S GRAND: Michael Grasso won the second edition of the 2025 Meadowlands Monthly Handicapping contest, which was held on Friday (Feb. 14). The event, which takes place once a month, goes for prize money totaling $1,000.
Grasso finished the night with a bankroll of $354.00. He and second-place finisher Nick Montemurro ($312.50) both earned spots in the $10,000 contest that will be held in December.
Robert Glaser had both the third- and fourth-place bankrolls with $170.60 and $158.80, respectively, while Heather Jones was fifth with $70.10.
The next edition of the contest takes place on March 14. 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.
OTTEN’S THE ULTIMATE: Jessica Otten is on special assignment this weekend, as the Big M TV personality is in Australia covering the Ladbrokes Ultimate Drivers Championship.
The event will take place at The Creek, Albion Park in Brisbane, Australia.
The competition will feature 10 drivers competing in a 20-race series over two nights on Feb. 21-22, with more than $250,000 (AUD) in prize money offered.
New Zealand-native Dexter Dunn and Canadian-born Yannick Gingras, North America’s top money-earning drivers during 2024, have been selected to compete in the challenge.
Otten will be there covering the action, so look for reports on her Facebook page, as well as on X.
OH YES, IT’S LADIES’ NIGHT: The Big M will celebrate women in racing on Saturday, March 8, as the track hosts International Women’s Day, sponsored by Clinton Tractor.
Otten and The Red Mile’s Emily Gaskin will host the night’s live simulcast broadcast and paddock interviews will be conducted by Scioto Downs’ Jenna Otten.
The night will include videos and interviews with the industry’s top female trainers, drivers and grooms, plus a race with an all-female field.
PARTY ON: Looking to book a corporate event or private party? The Meadowlands has unlimited event possibilities. The redesigned Gallery with multiple TVs, private bar and balcony overlooking the FanDuel Sportsbook is perfect for game days, watch parties and more.
To book your private party, email alokshin@playmeadowlands.com.
HOCKEY RIVALRY IN FANDUEL:Meadowlands regulars know that if they want action on professional and college sports, all they have to do is head for the FanDuel Sportsbook, which is the No. 1 facility of its kind in all of North America.
It’s located inside the grandstand at The Big M.
The book has massive TV screens and self-service betting terminals, so watch and wager in comfort while having some great food and drink.
Thursday (Feb. 20) is for hockey fans, as the USA takes on Canada in the final of the 4 Nations Face-Off.
It is the first senior men’s hockey championship game between the rivals since the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
The puck will drop at 8:20 p.m., and the oddsmakers can’t decide who to make the favorite, as both teams are -110 on the money line. Canada, at +1½ goals, is -300, while the U.S., at -1½ goals, is +235. The under/over is 5½ goals.
Whatever the sport, for the latest odds, go here.
The FanDuel Sportsbook is open for business Monday through Friday 10 a.m. – 1 a.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. – 1 a.m.; and Sunday 8 a.m. – midnight.
