By Dave Little, Meadowlands
Media Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – They
came to play.
Meadowlands fans wagered with
both hands throughout Saturday night’s 13-race program and despite only two
horses paying $10 or more and six races that saw favorites emerge victorious,
the betting swelled to a new 2018 high.
For the first time this year,
wagering surpassed the magic $3 million mark. In fact, it wasn’t merely surpassed,
it was smashed.
The all-source total handle
of $3,454,633 easily outdistanced the industry handle leader's previous 2018
best, which was $2,790,201 on Jan. 27. The corresponding race card a year ago
saw $2,581,495 bet on 12 races.
The on-track, on-product play
totaled $296,916.
The Pick-5 carryover of
$30,202 served as a catalyst for not only that wager, but for the entire night,
as $230,199 in “new money” was poured into the Pick-5 pot. The third race,
which is the first leg of the bet, saw $422,271 in total play.
After a formful sequence that
saw the odds of the winners come back 7-2, 7-2, 6-5, 3-1 and even-money, many
winning Pick-5 tickets for $541.70 were cashed after the total pool of over
$260,000 was divvied up.
But there was more.
The 20-Cent Survivor Pick 10
once again saw big play (a total pool of $20,005), and, once again, it resulted
in a ‘jackpot’ as one lucky winner, betting into the Portland, Ore. hub, walked
away with $17,000.54 after surviving seven legs.
The Early 20-Cent Jackpot
Super High Five resulted in a single-ticket winner, and that patron, wagering
into the Maryland hub, cashed in for $7,622.70 at the conclusion of the ninth
race.
About the only big pot not
raked belonged to the Late 20-Cent Jackpot Super High Five (Race 13), which
once again failed to produce a single-ticket winner. That wager’s carryover now
stands at $126,952.
‘AWESOME’ IN FEATURE: Awesomeness lived up to his name, controlling the action
from start to finish to win the featured $20,000 Preferred Handicap for pacers.
The Brett Pelling trainee
gave notice a week ago he’d have a big mile on tap, getting roughed up and
racing with a broken headpole and winning nonetheless against a slightly weaker
field. This time, back at the highest level the Big M offers, the 5-year-old
gelded son of Mach Three emerged on the front end after a five-horse scrum into
the first turn, cut out fractions of :26.4, :54 and 1:22.1 before sprinting
home in :28 to record a three-quarter-length win for driver Jim Marohn Jr. and
owner Martin Scharf.
Awesomeness hit the wire in
1:50.1, just a fifth of a second off his lifetime best. Dr J Hanover was second
with JK Will Power finishing third. Western Joe, the 5-2 second choice who was
seeking his third straight score with this kind, opted to race from the rear
and closed to get fourth.
The winner paid $4.20 as the
even-money favorite and now has 15 wins in 37 lifetime tries, with earnings of
just over $235,000.
A LITTLE MORE: Marohn and Yannick Gingras both recorded driving
triples on the card while Pelling and Bob Lounsbury had training doubles. …
Racing resumes at the Big M Friday at 6:35 p.m.
