Remembering the very first Meadowlands Pace

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by Bob Heyden

Let’s take a look back at the very first Meadowlands Pace in 1977 with a dozen notes of interest:

1. The inaugural pace was held on a Tuesday night (July 12, 1977).

2. Going into Pace Night, the Meadowlands track record for sophomore pacing colts was 1:55.1 set by Oil Burner on Sept. 6, 1976. The overall track mark was 1:54.3 by Shadyside Trixie. Both were lowered in the Pace elims by B Gs Bunny to 1:54.

3. It was a 10-race card with an 8 p.m. post, seven of 10 winners paid between 4-1 and 5-1, 11 drivers in the two elims went on to the Hall Of Fame. The two longest-priced horses were Keystone Banshee with Peter Haughton at 77-1 (eighth) and Stan Banks drove Thorpe Messenger to a fifth and qualifying spot at 87-1 and then was sixth in the final at 81-1 —

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