Meadowlands Media Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – The nature of
racing is sometimes favorites win, sometimes they don’t, and Meadowlands’ fans
are versatile enough to adjust to whatever scenario comes their way, although
smiles were likely broader last weekend (Jan. 22-23) when four-figure payouts
were the norm.
During the 27-race (13 on Friday, 14
on Saturday), two-card race week, only seven favorites were seen in the
winner’s circle at mile’s end, for a low percentage of 26. But when you remove
Friday’s Early Double and Saturday’s Late Double – both of which were swept by
post-time choices – the Big M faithful were able to make some scores over the
23 races in between, when only three chalks clicked (13 percent).
Friday saw a pair of handsome $2
Trifectas as $2,795 was the payout in the sixth race and $1,008 in the ninth.
Those races were the bookends to a 50-cent Pick-4 that returned $8,987. The
ninth race also served as the payoff leg to a huge $1 Pick-3 that came back
$5,400, with driver Corey Callahan, aka “The Captain”, commanding 27-1 shot
Explosive Ridge to victory.
Those who correctly selected five
winners in the 20-cent Survivor Pick-7 cashed in for $2,162 before longshot
lovers got one more bite of the big-payoff apple in the 11th, as the
Pick-3 returned $1,705.
Saturday saw seven scintillating
settlements where payouts were $1,000 or more. With Yannick Gingras winning his
second of four races on the night (three of which went off at odds of at least
8-1), the second race saw a 10-cent Superfecta payoff of $1,072 and a Trifecta
return of $2,244.
Race four’s Trifecta paid $2,016 even
with the mile pace being taken by 5-1 second choice Sports Column (with Mark
MacDonald driving) and completed a Pick-3 that came back $1,335.
The biggest payoffs of the night came
later in the evening, as the fifth race 20-cent Pick-5 returned $6,907, with
all of Gingras’ winners coming during the sequence. The ninth race Survivor,
where one only needed to have six correct, came back $2,992.
The 20-cent Pick-6, which came into
the night with a carryover of $7,293, saw a total pool of $36,159 and those who
correctly selected all six winners walked away with $6,365 at the conclusion of
the 13th race.
“When you have competitive, full
fields on a mile track, there are going to be constant opportunities for a
horseplayer to make a score,” said Big M Chief Operating Officer and General
Manager Jason Settlemoir. “Combine that with low takeout options, which create
even bigger payouts, it gives you the kind of wagering product that
horseplayers around the world will always respond to. We continue to be the No.
1 nighttime signal of any breed in horse racing, with Saturday handle averaging
more than $3.7 million during our Winter Meet.”
Once again, all-source wagering
during the weekend was up considerably over the corresponding cards from 2020.
Friday’s total of $2,806,228 was
better than a half-million more than the year before. There have been three
Friday racing programs in 2021, and each has seen action of $2.8 million or
more.
Saturday’s stayed perfect in four
2021 programs with wagering of at least $3.4 million. The $3,404,537 in total
play Jan. 23 was $737,494 more than what was bet 12 months prior, an uptick of
28 percent.
GET SOCIAL: You can always check in with the team
at The Meadowlands on Twitter.
For early changes, racing information
and staff selections, go to @themeadowlands or #playbigm.
On race nights, stay in touch on
Twitter with the Big M’s Dave Brower (@eedoogie), Dave Little
(@DaveLittleBigM), Ken Warkentin (@kenvoiceover), Shades Demsky (@shadesonracing)
and Jessica Otten (@JessicaOtten1).
FREE FOR ALL: Thanks to an agreement between The
Meadowlands and TrackMaster, past performances for every race of every Big M
program are now available at no cost.
To access the free PPs, go to playmeadowlands.com.
PROMISES, PROMISES: As any seasoned horse player knows, there
are no guarantees at the racetrack. But at The Meadowlands, there are.
Each 50-cent Pick-4 (one gets
underway in race six, the other in race 10) sports a $50,000 guarantee in total
play. Last Saturday, both pools exceeded the $90,000 level.
THE SCHEDULE: Live racing at The Meadowlands takes
place every Friday and Saturday evening. Post time is 6 p.m.
The track’s live “Racing from the
Meadowlands” pre-game show begins at 5:27 p.m.
COUNTDOWN TO THE GAME: The National Football League’s
championship game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 7 at 6:30 p.m., and The
Meadowlands’ FanDuel Sportsbook is the place to get all your action.
As of Thursday morning, the Kansas
City Chiefs were a 3-point favorite over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but that’s
not the only way to play, as there will be a plethora of propositions to
palpate players.
Do you like the Chiefs at -3½ and the
total points scored to go over 56½? The payoff would be +280. How about the
Buccaneers at +3½ and under 56½? That would be +250.
If you’d like to bet the coin toss,
both heads and tails are -103. What about the first scoring play to be a Kansas
City touchdown? The return would be +160. Those bets merely scratch the surface
of what will be offered.
Hours for the track’s FanDuel
Sportsbook are from 10 a.m. – midnight Sunday through Friday and from 10 a.m. –
2 a.m. on Saturday.
