Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment confirmed a schedule for the 2022 season with estimated total stakes purses of $20 million.
After a three-month shutdown due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the East Rutherford racetrack reopened in July 2020 and went from strength to strength. The operator said the handle for each race night averaged more than $3 million.
“The 2018 season saw an average nightly handle of just over $2 million a night, so it’s easy for everyone to see the amazing progress we have made in New Jersey. The average handle is up $1 million a night,” track COO and GM Jason Settlemoir said last month.
The Meadowlands reported that the total handle topped $276 million in 2021. The track finished 92 racecards with an average wager per card of just more than $3 million.
Specifically, wagers totaled $276,031,079, which translates to an average of $3,000,337 per card.
The $20 million in purses for 2022 is similar to what was on offer in 2021. The Meadowlands announced stakes purses of more than $20 million for the 2021 season in early December 2020, according to a report by Daily Racing Form (DRF).
Highlights of the 2022 Race Season
The track has published all foreseen live racing dates and stakes races for the upcoming season. Stakes information, including dates, payments schedules, and nomination forms, are also available.
Among the most popular and sought-after stakes are the “Championship Meet” headliners, which include the $700,000 Meadowlands Pace alongside the supporting $2.5 million “Greatest Night in Harness Racing”. They are scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 16, 2022.
Only a few weeks later, the $1 million Hambletonian and $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks are the highlights of the highly anticipated $3.5 million Hambletonian Day afternoon of racing on August 6, 2022.
Entirely new on the schedule for the September slot is the $2 million New Jersey Classic Series for Jersey-sired two- and three-year-olds in the elimination and final format. The 2-year-old races allow for trots and paces while the three-year-old races are for trotters only.
For the 2022 season, all the stakes requiring eliminations will employ a new formula to draw for the final. For example, the Freshman Fall Final Four stakes in late November will return to the elimination and final format. The projected purses for them will be in the $400,000 range.
A mare division for the Graduate Series has also been added to the schedule. It will mirror the existing Graduate schedule, with 4-year-old mares racing three legs. The schedule wraps up with a $125,000 final leg.
Two specific races for older mares have been renamed. The connections of Perfect Sting and Six Pack have taken over sponsorship of the stakes previously known as the Artiscape and Joie De Vie, respectively.
Increased Purses for the 2022 Season
Several racecards have seen significant increases for the purses. For example, the Peter Haughton and Jim Doherty Memorial 2-year-old trotting stakes have more than doubled, going from $45,000 to $100,000. The estimated purse for each is now valued at $400,000.
Most notably, the New Jersey Sires Stakes (NJSS) races at The Meadowlands will also offer increased purses of 20% across the board for the finals. Its new amount of $240,000 will certainly make it competitive with other programs in the region.
The list of races earning points towards the $1 million TVG Championships now also includes the Derbies at Hollywood Dayton, which brings the total up to seven. A few additional administrative changes to the conditions for stakes have been made and the new language has already been updated for all affected stallions.
With more racecards and increased purses, the Meadowlands racetrack can certainly look forward to another exciting and potentially record-breaking year for horseracing in 2022. Certainly, the 2022 schedule offers plenty of exciting opportunities for horseracing fans to place wagers through FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the Meadowlands.
