Widely accepted as the pinnacle of harness racing, next Saturday’s Hambletonian at The Meadowlands will have a throwback flavor to it as heat racing returns for the first time since 1996.
Heat racing in the Hambletonian has provided plenty of thrills over the years, including the exciting stretch drive of Continentalvictory and Lindy Lane in 1996. In 1997, the Hambletonian eliminations were moved to a week before the race to provide a week of festivities and maximize the wagering at the racetrack.
“In many instances heat-racing gives a great combination of the two,” Jason Settlemoir , CEO and General Manager of the New Meadowlands Racetrack LLC, told The Rumble. “It lengthens the drama of the Hambletonian and provides a thrilling afternoon for harness racing fans, especially those joining us on-track at The Meadowlands.”
But will fans be confused by this return to the old format of heat racing? Moira Fanning, director of publicity and operations for the Hambletonian Society, said she doesn’t think the confusion will last long.
“In 2013, information dissemination is instant,” Fanning said. “There are so many more ways to transmit information — the Internet and all the social media platforms available are a boon to a heat racing format.”
* The New Meadowlands has announced the Nat Ray Free For All trot will be known as the John Cashman, Jr. Memorial beginning with the 2013 race on Hambletonian Day, in honor of the late father of Yankees general manager Brian Cashman.
Mets p.r. chief
gets big head
One of the biggest heads in baseball belongs Jay Horwitz, the long-time public relations director with the Mets. Fans can get a close look at Jay’s head on Aug. 23.
A Jay Horwitz Bobblehead will be part of the giveaway on Social Media Night when the Mets play host to the Tigers at 7:10 p.m. A portion of the tickets sold that night will go to “Hope Shines for Shannon.” Shannon Forde, a Senior Director of Media Relations for the Mets, has been battling Stage 4 Breast Cancer since last August.
There will be a Third Eye Blind post game concert that night. For tickets and information:
Mets.com/jaybobble.
Papa Artest debuts
call-in radio show
Ron Artest Sr., the father of newest Knick Metta World Peace, debuted a new kids radio show yesterday, the Artest Foundation Community Show, on WWRL (1600-AM), from 1-2 p.m. The call-in show focuses on topics for young adults and children, regarding gun violence, financial literacy (learning how to read stock market information) and mental health. Artest, who runs a kids foundation, is co-hosting the show with Jennifer Edwards. World Peace is expected to be a guest in mid-August.
Local diamond
squads in RBI event
Two local youth baseball and softball teams have advanced to the 2013 Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) World Series, being held in Minneapolis and Saint Paul from Aug. 3-14. For the first time since 1997, Harlem RBI is sending a baseball team to the international tournament of the RBI program, and Hoboken RBI is sending its softball team for the fourth consecutive year.
The RBI World Series championship games in both teams’ divisions (senior baseball, ages 16-18; softball, ages 19 and up) will air on MLB Network. The baseball championship game will be played at Target Field, the home of the Twins.
Olympian takes on
Wall St. in Decathlon
Wall Street athletes will compete with 1996 Olympic gold medalist Dan O’Brien in The Decathlon today at Columbia’s Wien Stadium.
This decathlon is more like the NFL combine. It consists of a 400-meter run, bench press, 40-yard dash, pull-ups, 500-meter row, 800-meter run, vertical jump, agility drill, football throw and dips.
The event originated in 2008
by Dave Maloney (not the ex-Ranger) and Marc Hodulich and later used it as a way to raise money to help the fight against cancer, which at afflicted both of their mothers.
“I’m in decent shape. I’m not in outstanding shape, but a lot of the events are involved with strength.” O’Brien said.
“I’m just looking forward to everything except for the half-mile,” the 47-year-old former Olympian added jokingly.
Last year, The Decathlon raised $1.3 million for the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and Maloney is hoping to match that this year.