Back in the early 1990s when I started following harness racing the Dexter Cup at Freehold Raceway was considered the first step on the Road to the Hambletonian. That track is of course off the schedule now and the Dexter Cup has moved on to The Meadowlands, but it is worth pondering the race’s place in history and where it fits in the future. By all accounts the Dexter Cup began in 1960. You’d think information like that would be readily available on the web with a quick search but alas it is the now defunct Trotting and Pacing Guide that comes to the rescue to provide much of the historic facts to follow. When Quick Song won the initial edition back in 1960, the race went in 2:10 4/5 and the purse was $73,129. At its zenith the Dexter Cup went for $388,341 in 1984 and most recently in 2024 the purse was $134,900. Using an online inflation calculator, $73,129 in 1960 would be worth $779,725 today, so clearly purses have tailed off, but that is a story for another day. Three times in the initial decade of the Dexter Cup the winner went on to capture the prestigeous Hambletonian, thus proving that it was truly the official starting point on the road to that trotting classic. Since 1970 only two Dexter Cup winners – Armbro Goal (1988) and American Winner (1993) – have been able to go on to Hambletonian glory. For those that don’t want to do the math, that is twice in 54 years (there was no Dexter Cup in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Digging deeper, since the turn of the century only three Dexter Cup winners – Armbro Trick (2000), Habitat (2015) and Osterc (2019) – have been able to reach the Hambletonian final and none of the last four winners elected to even enter the eliminations. At this point it is safe to say that the Road to the Hambletonian hasn’t really started with the Dexter Cup for at least a quarter century. The question to ponder is the main reason why the Dexter Cup isn’t truly the first stop on the Hambletonian trail. Could it be the fact that it was raced on a half-mile track? Is it the placement on the calendar on the first Saturday in May? Was it that eliminations occurred on the last Saturday in April, more than three months before the Hambletonian on the first Saturday in August? “It is very early in the year and was on a half-mile track, so unless you had a horse that was a really good half-mile horse it was hard to justify putting them on a small track that early in the season. Too many things can go wrong on a half-mile track,” said trainer Nancy Takter, who has won the Hambletonian in consective years with Karl (2024) and Tactical Approach (2023). Much will be learned in 2025 with the switch of the race to The Meadowlands. The Dexter will now be contested on a mile track, removing the “small track” deterrent.  Eliminations won’t be required, meaning that horses won’t have to get a pari-mutuel start in April to compete. That said, it also means the purse could decrease since it could be split into divisions if too many horses enter. “I think it being on a mile track is a huge difference maker going forward,” said Takter. According to Meadowlands officials, how or if the Dexter Cup splits into divisions will be dependent on the number of entrants and with consideration given to the fact that the race could be the first start of the year for many of the 3-year-old trotters in the race. Logic would state that 11 is probably the magic number for a one-race affair, with a single horse starting as a trailer in that scenario. ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter In theory the purse of the race will be similar to 2024 unless the race splits into divisions. The Dexter Cup will again have a minimum of $50,000 in sponsor money added into the purse on top of any payments. The cost of remaining eligible to the race is $4,350 from birth through day of entry. There is also an unsightly $25,000 supplement fee which can be ponied up for an ineligible horse when they are entered. That amount is about 20% of the estimated total purse, making it far from a great investment, especially if the race is split into divisions. A total of eight horses entered the 2024 Dexter Cup and the race went straight to the final. When you realize that only 18 horses were even eligible to enter the elimination round, the number for the final isn’t very surprising. Digging deeper, 70 horses made all payments through their 2-year-old season in 2023, so the drop off to 18 is a steep 75% reduction. In 2024, a total of 53 colts made payments for the 2025 Dexter Cup. It will be interesting to see if the number falls by the same rate or it is reduced greatly when the February 15 payment is made this year. If the mile track makes a significant impact, one would expect a sharp increase to near 30 eligibles. “They should consider doing a supplemental nomination due February 15,” said Takter about potentially adding a new payment so 3-year-olds can jump in now that the venue has changed. “I would probably have a few to add that could then race in the 2025 edition.” The true test of the impact of having the Dexter Cup at The Meadowlands will be clear after the March 15 payments for 2-year-olds. Currently 765 yearlings are eligible to the race. Should the stake lure a paltry number like the 53 from 2024, perhaps that is a clear sign that the race is compromised by date and not venue. Getting back to the purse for a second, if just 25% of the 765 eligible yearlings (191 horses) make the $400 2-year-old payment before March 15, there would be an additional $55,200 up for grabs in the 2026 Dexter Cup. If half the 191 horses (95) pay the $800 sustaining fee at age 3 next year and 20 enter the race in early May, each of the two divisions would go for a healthy $163,575 if my math is correct. Assuming the Dexter Cup is eventually moved, with state Sire Stakes taking center stage over some Grand Circuit events, finding a more appropriate date on the calendar for the race may not be so easy. But I have an idea, one that goes perhaps against the grain while at the same time making some sense. Put the Dexter Cup at The Meadowlands on the day before the Goodtimes final at Woodbine Mohawk Park, typically the second or third Friday of June. Before you complain about these two 3-year-old Grand Circuit stakes going head to head, hear me out. The Goodtimes simply isn’t luring the best U.S. horses north of the border like it did a decade or more ago. Sure, stables that race regularly in Canada show up, but few come from out of town as they prefer to race locally or at The Meadowlands to prepare for the Hambletonian. Only 13 horses entered the Goodtimes eliminations in 2024 and all but three were racing in Canada regularly. The year prior, 16 horses entered and only two shipped up from south of the border. At this point the Goodtimes is a great Hambletonian prep for Canadian-based horses, and with that said, doesn’t having the Dexter Cup the day before make sense for many reasons? First, the top drivers would be able to compete on the Friday card because Woodbine Mohawk Park’s big card is the following night, and the drivers need to be in New Jersey Saturday morning anyway for baby races and qualifiers. Second, a horse could in theory enter the Goodtimes elimination the week before with the hope of making the final but switch to the Dexter Cup if they don’t qualify for some reason. Third, trainers on the east coast, especially those with New Jersey-sired horses, would have a perfect prep between the Sire Stakes final and the Dancer on the second Saturday in July. Think back to 2024 when eventual Hambletonian winner Karl won the New Jersey Sire Stakes final on May 31 and had to take four weeks off because he didn’t have another stakes engagement until the June 29 Reynolds at The Meadowlands. Having the Dexter Cup in between would create the perfect positioning with great spacing between races. “Having it on the second or third week of June would’ve worked for Hambo-preparing horses. The Historic used to be around then before they canceled it,” said Takter. “Karl probably would’ve at least been nominated in 2024 if it had fallen on the schedule [in June]. I think many of the NJSS horses would’ve gone as well.” Change for the sake of change makes no sense. In the case of the Dexter Cup a venue change was made out of necessity. Perhaps if the current situation doesn’t produce a greater turnout, consideration can now be given to moving it to a better position on the calendar. A date change could breathe new life into the Dexter Cup and once again make it a prominent stop on the Road to the Hambletonian.