Meadowlands posts
seven straight Three Million Dollar nights in a row
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ (February 24, 2016) – With an
unprecedented streak of seven straight nights posting all-sources handle of
more than $3 million, the wagering momentum at the Meadowlands is undeniable.
February handle shows a year-over-year increase of more than $2.5 million, an
average of $518,862 per night and a per-race increase of $22,460 per race
through the first three weekends of the month.
Over the weekend of February 19-20, the Meadowlands handled
more money on its live races than the eight other American harness tracks that
conducted live racing combined. The Meadowlands handled a total of $6.488
million over its two-day weekend of racing while the other tracks combined to
handle $6.374 million.
“We are very proud of the tremendous roll that we are on
here at the Meadowlands in terms of our live handle,” said Jason M. Settlemoir,
CEO/GM of Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment. “The fact that the
Meadowlands represented more than 50-percent of all American harness racing
handle on Friday and Saturday shows how important a healthy Meadowlands is to
the health of the entire industry. When you add that in addition to being the
most popular nighttime signal in racing, we were the number five track in all
of racing on Friday (behind only Gulfstream , Santa Anita, Aqueduct and Tampa
Bay). That speaks volumes on how the entire wagering public views The
Meadowlands.”
Large wagering pools, a low percentage of winning favorites,
and oversized payoffs continue to be the key drivers of the robust betting
numbers.
Betting favorites this month are winning at just 29 percent
at the Meadowlands. Big fields have also contributed to robust pool sizes
especially in the exacta and trifecta wagers. For example, last Saturday’s
exacta pools averaged nearly $70,000 per race while the trifecta pools were
more than $50,000 on average per race.
Stringing together a series of winners has proven to be a
challenge for handicappers. But for those sharp enough to succeed, the payoffs
have been oversized. In February, the 50-cent Pick Five’s average payoff is
just under $30,000 while the two Pick 4 wagers have returned, on average,
$3,393.
The Meadowlands has always been home to the sport’s top
driver colony. While that is still the case, the makeup of the driver colony
looks much different this year with David Miller taking the winter off, Ron
Pierce mulling retirement, and several other regulars missing time for
vacations. That has allowed several “young guns” to make their mark. Based on
Universal Driver Ratings, four of the track’s top 10 drivers in February are under
the age of 30, including Marcus Miller (.275), Scott Zeron (.265), Austin
Siegelman (.218), and Joe Bongiorno (.196). Tim Tetrick leads all drivers in
February with a UDRS of .280.
Live racing takes place Friday and Saturday nights at the
Meadowlands with 14-race programs beginning at 6:35 p.m.
For more information, visit www.playmeadowlands.com.
