East Rutherford, NJ (My Sportsbook) - Saturday night at The Meadowlands there will be two elimination races to determine the ten horse field for the $1.5 million Hambletonian. Harness racing's signature event will be held the following Saturday afternoon.

Each elimination race will have a purse of $100,000. The first race will have a field of seven three-year-old trotters and the second will have six horses start.

Dan Patch Award winner Chocolatier will start from post five in the first elimination. He will be driven by D.R. Ackerman and is trained by Doug Ackerman.

Topping the second elimination will be Mr Pine Chip, winner of the Stanley Dancer Memorial. Mr Pine Chip is trained by Trond Smedshammer and will start from post three.

Smedshammer also has Here Comes Herbie and Blue Mac Lad entered in the elimination races. Smedshammer was the winning driver and trainer of the 2004 Hambletonian with Windsong's Legacy. Windsong's Legacy won the 2004 Trotting Triple Crown.

In addition to the Hambletonian elimination races, four Breeders' Crown races will be contested Saturday. Vivid Photo, last year's Hambletonian winner, will go in the $800,000 trot for older males. The other races are for older female trotters, older male pacers and older female pacers.