Days before the Standardbred Horse Sales Company yearling auction opens in Harrisburg on Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, The Meadowlands secured complete sponsorship backing for its newly established and elevated stakes race lineup, Harness Racing Update reported.
The swift turnaround arrives roughly a month after Meadowlands president and chief executive officer Jeff Gural announced the creation of two lucrative sophomore events—the $1 million Meadowlands Trot and the $500,000 Meadowlands Oaks Trot—alongside purse increases for several established stakes. Those additions were conceived to replace the Hambletonian and Hambletonian Oaks after the Hambletonian Society decided to end its nearly five-decade partnership with the track and move America’s Trotting Classic back to the Midwest.
Gural personally committed $150,000 to help fund the Meadowlands Trot and called on industry stakeholders to sponsor the remaining purse boosts. According to Meadowlands chief operating officer and general manager Jason Settlemoir, the racing community met the challenge faster than anticipated, eliminating the need to spend weeks tracking down financial backing.
“The industry stepped up and we have secured all the sponsorships,” Settlemoir told Harness Racing Update. “What started out as something we’ll just call unfortunate has now turned into a positive for the entire Garden State and also for the entire industry. I mean, you’re talking about new races and bigger purses for those established races.”
Sponsorship Roster and Gural’s Financial Guarantees
Beyond his initial $150,000 investment, Gural spent time at the recent yearling sale in Lexington making direct calls to secure backing. All purses associated with the updated schedule are estimated, with the exception of the $1 million Meadowlands Trot and the $500,000 Oaks Trot, which carry guarantees directly from Gural. He indicated to Harness Racing Update that he is prepared to cover any shortfalls out of pocket once again if necessary.
To sweeten the terms for participants, The Meadowlands will also award a 20 per cent bonus to any New Jersey-sired horse that captures one of these featured races. Gural will fund half of that bonus—10 per cent—through Allerage Farms.
The lineup of races and their corresponding sponsors breaks down across major divisions:
- The $1 million Meadowlands Allerage Farms Trot: Funded by Jeff Gural
- The $500,000 Meadowlands Manchego Oaks Trot: Black Horse Racing and Kountry Lane Standardbreds
- $500,000 Cane Pace: Diamond Creek Farm and Kentuckiana Farms
- $400,000 Stanley Dancer Memorial: Hunterton Farm and Hickory Lane Farm
- $400,000 Del Miller Memorial: Hanover Shoe Farms and Crawford Farms
- $400,000 Brandon Blvd Graduate Open Pace: Punisher 11 Stable
- $400,000 Graduate Open Trot: Face Time Bourbon Syndicate and Melander Stable
- $200,000 Graduate Mare Pace: SBOA of NJ, Cameo Hills Farm, and George Segal
- $200,000 Graduate Mare Trot: Svanstedt Stable, Deo Volente Farms, and the Burke Brigade
Bill Pollock of Punisher 11 Stable committed to backing the track without hesitation when contacted. “I’m always willing to help The Meadowlands and New Jersey racing,” Pollock said. “I think it’s important for all levels of racing and needed.”
Creating Opportunities for Developing Mares
For Sarah Svanstedt of Svanstedt Stable, stepping up to sponsor the Graduate Mare Trot addressed a critical developmental hurdle for young female Standardbreds transitioning out of their sophomore campaigns.
“When The Meadowlands approached us about sponsoring the Graduate Mare Trot, we felt it was exactly what the sport needed,” Sarah Svanstedt told Harness Racing Update. “The transition from 3 to 4 is challenging, even for the very best fillies. Giving these young mares their own division, without having to compete against the boys, creates an important opportunity to continue developing and racing at a high level. We’re proud to support a race that invests in their future. It was an easy decision for us to support it at The Meadowlands.”
In addition to taking on a sponsorship herself, Sarah Svanstedt connected track management with other potential backers, drawing praise from Settlemoir for her active involvement in rounding out the financial commitments.
Looking Ahead to Harrisburg and Future Expansion
Locking in the full sponsorship roster before the opening gavel in Harrisburg was vital for projecting stability to buyers, trainers, and breeders arriving at the Standardbred Horse Sales Company auction.
“We urge everybody to stay in place and continue to support New Jersey racing,” Settlemoir said. “Thanks to the hard work of Jeff, the entire Meadowlands team, and the SBOANJ, New Jersey racing is here to stay, as evidenced by these new stakes races and the bigger purses on the others.”
The current structural updates also serve as a bridge toward larger commercial ambitions for the property. Settlemoir noted that Gural is actively working to place a casino referendum on the ballot in 2027. If voters approve the measure, management projects that the resulting revenue will enable the track to double the purses for all major stakes by the year 2030.
