Meadowlands Media Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – If
you follow racing at the Meadowlands, you know how popular the track’s signature
wager, the 50-Cent Pick 4, is with the betting public.
What you may not know is how
the wager and the sequence that compiles it (races 8 through 11) impact the
overall betting at the industry’s handle leader.
“The Meadowlands Pick 4 pool
is averaging $81,785 in 2018 and a little more than $93,000 over the last two
Saturdays,” said track Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason
Settlemoir. “On January 27, the races that made up the Pick 4 sequence saw
$938,264 in handle. Those are incredible numbers for our sport. There are also
the residual effects of having the most popular wager in the sport.
“The following Saturday, the
final Pick 3 pool was over $20,000 and the Late Double pool following our Pick
4 was over $35,000. The final nine races on the card handled over $2 million.
These are the type of wagers and pools that we are building our mid-card and
late-night audience with and it all starts with the resurgence of our Pick 4
with a 15 percent takeout.”
The day-by-day Pick 4 pool
totals for 2018 (the wager carries a $50,000 guaranteed pool):
·
January 12: $72,239
·
January 13: $83,204
·
January 19: $73,445
·
January 20: $86,996
·
January 26: $85,775
·
January 27: $101,968
·
February 2: $64,991
·
February 3: $85,779
“Speaking of the late-night
audience,” said Settlemoir. “The final race this Friday will offer a 20-Cent
Jackpot Super High Five carryover of $92,461. We are at the point now where one
person could win $100,000 for a 20-cent wager on our final race of the night.
“What some players do not
know is that you don’t have to be a single-ticket winner to make a score in the
High Five. Remarkably, 4-5 favorites won the final race both nights of last
weekend, but the payouts were $2,094 on Saturday and $5,441 on Friday,
nonetheless. That is hard to believe and a good reason for Big M fans to always
take a shot at the High Five.”
HANDLE HAT TRICK: Total handle at the Big M has exceeded $2.7 million for three
straight Saturdays. … Pick 5 pools are averaging $72,429 this year, thanks in
large part to a $250,000 carryover pool on Opening Night. Even without a
carryover, the wager remains strong, averaging $50,635 in action, more than
double the pool’s $25,000 guarantee. The Pick 5 is offered with a 15 percent
takeout.
Free program pages for the Meadowlands
Pick 4, courtesy of Track Master, are available on the Meadowlands’ website (www.playmeadowlands.com) and on the handicapping section at www.ustrotting.com.
SOCIAL SETTINGS: Is there a carryover in the Pick 5? Did the bettors
wager $100,000 in the Pick 4 pool? Need to know what’s going on at the
Meadowlands? On Twitter, check out Dave Brower (@eedoogie), track photographer
Mike Lisa (@lisaphoto) or the track itself (@themeadowlands).
If you prefer Facebook, go to
‘Dave Brower’ or ‘MeadowlandsRacetrack’.
LIVE SHOW FRIDAY: “Meadowlands Harness Live” returns Friday night and
will show races 7, 8 and 9 from 9-10 p.m. The telecast can be seen on SportsNet
New York (SNY) with host Dave Brower, color commentator Dave Little and
handicapper and interviewer Bob “Hollywood” Heyden.
LIVE RACING SCHEDULE: Racing is conducted at the Meadowlands on Friday and
Saturday evenings. The winter post time of 6:35
p.m. will continue until Saturday, March 17. Post time will change to 7:15 p.m.
on Friday, March 23.
