by Brett Sturman

When the 2025 standardbred racing dates approved by the New Jersey Racing Commission were made public this week, it revealed what would be a shift in the traditional fall calendar at The Meadowlands.

It’s important to note that the calendar is still subject to change as several considerations are still to be determined, but in its current state there would be thoroughbred programs at The Meadowlands between September and November. This would have obvious implications to The Meadowlands’ fall stakes, including the signatures stakes to be raced on Saturday (Nov. 30), the Fall Final Four stakes races for 2-year-olds (Governor’s Cup, Valley Victory, Goldsmith Maid, Three Diamonds), and the four FanDuel Championship races.

If the calendar were to hold as first approved, what would happen to the 2-year-old races? The simplest answer is that they could be raced elsewhere. The Meadowlands has played host to the races consecutively every year since 2017, but prior to that the races moved between The Meadowlands and Woodbine. Records show there were even two years in 2009 and 2011 the races were conducted at Harrah’s Philadelphia — one year of which was raced in September — though I somehow have no recollection of that.

It’s somewhat different for the FanDuel (formerly TVG) Championships, in that going back to the inception of those races in 2013, The Meadowlands has been the only home those stakes have ever known. And unlike the Fall Final Four which could be somewhat flexible with dates, the FanDuel Championships have to come at year-end as they are the culmination of points earned in selected stakes throughout the year.

However, the speculation may all be for naught as developments continue to play out. Messaging The Meadowlands’ owner Jeff Gural earlier this week, he said he is hopeful that the thoroughbreds will relinquish the fall dates to The Meadowlands where those dates would become available for standardbred use. How the schedule is ultimately finalized will remain to be seen.

As for this Saturday’s races, there’s the usual intrigue in the FanDuel races with 3-year-olds taking on older horses. The first instance comes in the FanDuel for mare trotters, where the top two rated 3-year-olds in the division, Allegiant and R Melina, will take on a field that includes the top three finishers from this year’s Breeders Crown Older Mare Trot, led by winner Call Me Goo. There’s already been a couple of columns dedicated to the divisional awards discussion, so no need to belabor, but I strongly believe that if either Allegiant or R Melina were able to win this race, then it should leave no question as to which of those should take home the hardware for their division. This should be about as good a race as one could expect for the compact field of six horses.

The other FanDuel Championship that will feature a 3-year-old is again on the mares’ side, but this time on the pace. My Girl EJ with divisional honors assured and fresh off a $758,000 sale buy for new connections, will give it a go against the presumptive Horse of the Year, star mare Twin B Joe Fresh. Going first time in the barn of Andrew Harris, I’m anxious to see how My Girl EJ stacks up. I think she’s going to give a good account of herself as a fresh challenger in the open mare pacing ranks. This could be a preview of a rivalry to come next year.

In the FanDuel Open Pace, all the top finishers from last month’s Breeders Crown are back. Coach Stefanos keeps James MacDonald who will return from Canada following his Breeders Crown-winning drive and will hope to keep the late-race heroics of Coach Stefanos intact where he closed in back-to-back :25 an change final quarters to sweep his Crown elimination and final. Seven Colors returns too, and he looked for a moment that he was going to upset in the Crown at the longest of odds right before Coach Stefanos burst onto the left side of the television screen and stormed past. Abuckabett Hanover continues to show up and a win here following his win in the Potomac Pace would be an impressive way for him to cap off his season. He amazingly went off at slightly higher odds in that race at Rosecroft from post 2 than he did here in the Breeders Crown from post 8. Ruthless Hanover will try to take them as far and fast as he can from post 10.

In the FanDuel Championship for open trotters, Winner’s Bet will try to go out a winner this year with a six-race winning streak should he beat all familiar foes in a reasonable field of 8; efforts resembling across the current winning streak would be good enough to dispatch this group one final time.

As for the 2-year-old races, all of those have gone straight to this weekend’s finals. Miki And Minnie deserves credit as the lone 2-year-old Breeders Crown winner to race back in one of the 2-year-old Fall Final Four races. That Breeders Crown win was a well-earned one also, having raced uncovered a long way after having started from post 9. She’s since qualified twice and will face a challenge to her inside from Rodeo Drive Deo who moves all the way from post 10 in the Breeders Crown to post 1 here in the Three Diamonds. After having upset Rose in the Matron at Dover, Faze becomes a contender too.

In the Valley Victory, Go Dog Go comes off the Breeders Crown where he was bet down to 6-1 against Maryland and really tried to take it to him into the stretch. He seems best of these, though Super Chapter from the outside post remains formidable, as does Monserrate who earns a shot after racing well throughout his Kindergarten series.

Luna Lovegood is out for redemption in the Goldsmith Maid after having an unfortunate early miscue when last seen here in the Breeders Crown in a race where she would have been tons the best.

In the Governor’s Cup, there are questions around Captain Optimistic, who was fourth as the favorite in the Breeders Crown, followed by a vet scratch and then coming up short in his most recent start at 20 cents on the dollar. He’ll have to contend with a Burke trio of Swingtown, Railroad Station and Papi’s Rocket. An interesting prospect could be Fusion who ripped through the Kentucky Commonwealth series over the summer at The Red Mile where he lost just once and that was to American Son in 1:49.4. He hasn’t had an actual race in two months but maybe trainer Nancy Takter knows something by putting him in this spot.