The Meadowlands Pace is harness racing for three year old Standardbred pacers*. The event was free entry and very lively. The first 5,000 people who entered would receive free t-shirts and there were giveaways during the rest of the event. There were plenty of areas available for food and drinks. Food trucks and carnival activities (including a mechanical bull ride) were outside and there were restaurants on two other floors of the center as well. The restaurants on the upper floors were sit-down and reservation based.
This was our first time attending a horse race and it was an incredible experience! We bet a small amount on four horses to get the full experience and it was exciting when two of the horses we picked won. In fact, we learned that there is a specific order on how to bet on horses. There was also down time between the races (eleven races in total) and that gave us enough time to explore or grab a snack.
The first floor was where the majority of the betting took place. There were areas that you could also bet on other live sports events. Later in the evening, it started to get a little rowdy, but there were plenty of security guards around so it felt safe. Parking was easy and free, but it was a little hard to find at first because there was another event going on at the MetLife Stadium that night. We left before the roads got too crazy with people leaving from not only the horse race, but also from the event at the stadium.
Overall, it was an incredible experience and we would like to see another race next season.
*Horses typically have four gaits: walk, trot, canter, and gallop. Standardbred horses have a fifth gait called the “pace”.
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