The Meadowlands Championship Meet escalates quickly with several important stakes this weekend.
Friday features the first leg of the New Jersey Sires Stakes (NJSS) for the sophomore set. The first of three eight horse $25,000 divisions for colts and geldings kicks off the card and will serve as the stage for the Meadowlands debut of the intriguing Trixton colt Cuatro De Julio.
A homebred, owned by legendary French horseman Jean Pierre Dubois as D Farm, LLC, Cuatro De Julio comes from humble beginnings. He began his career on the dusty Kentucky fair circuit where local horseman Al Efferstein patiently instilled early lessons while guiding him to several victories for trainer Marie Ortolan Bar.
Trackmaster will provide Platinum Past Performances for each night of the contest.
The game covers the Meadowlands’ Championship Meet and concludes on Hambletonian Day, Saturday, Aug. 7.
The winner is determined by the highest total bankroll at the end of the Challenge based on a $2 “across the board” wager [win, place and show] on selections for three designated races each program.
However, to continue in the game, entrants have to “survive” by finishing in-the-money [first through third] with at least one of their selections each day. Failing to do so or not making selections knocks the player out of the game. To aid in the player’s survival a “lucky horseshoe” is given. The lucky horseshoe is a “free pass” given to all Challenge participants that allows the player to survive if he does not make selections for a race card or all three of his selections fail to hit the board.