EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – For the
last several years, the Meadowlands has had a ‘Big 3’ in its driver colony.
Yannick Gingras, David Miller and Tim Tetrick have won many of the races –
especially stakes events – at the Big M, but thus far in 2019, there are
several new names in play when handicappers seek to use a top-three pilot.
Gingras’ name is still there.
The 39-year-old, who, in 2018 saw his horses earn in excess of $11 million for
a ninth-straight season, was the leading driver at the Meadowlands during
January with 15 winners. ‘The Green Hornet’ buzzed to the head of the class on
the wings of a seven-win stand last week (Jan. 25-26) over the course of the
two-card race week.
Next up at 14 wins is a
newcomer to the Big M, New Zealand native Dexter Dunn. The 29-year-old has
proven to Meadowlands’ fans that he can drive at a high level. During the eight
Big M racing programs in January, Dunn guided top mare pacers
Delightfulmemphisn and OK Heavenly to a pair of wins each. He also won twice
with gelded conditioned pacer Rough Odds, most recently (on Jan. 26) from well
off the pace on a night where the front end is where one wanted to be.
Rounding out the top three is
ultra-steady Andy Miller, 50, whose 13 January scores were good for third in
the standings. The King of Freehold’s driver colony won twice in January at the
Big M with top conditioned pacer Odds On Lauderdale, and guided K Ryan Bluechip
to victory lane in the Big M’s weekly pacing feature, the Preferred Handicap,
on Jan. 5 in 1:50.4.
For shrewd handicappers who
follow the money, they knew to follow Eric Carlson. Carlson’s nine January
victories (which tied him for fourth in the standings with Corey Callahan) may
not have had the quantity of the top three, but they did have big-time quality,
and then some.
Carlson’s ROI (return on
investment) was an amazing 213 percent, meaning for every $100 you bet on a
Carlson-driven horse, you got back your principle plus $113 more.
Fans of the 43-year-old
Michigan native had a party on Jan. 12 when Carlson guided 83-1 shot
Smileandsaycheese to the winner’s circle. He proved one week earlier to have an
aptitude for winning with longshots when he and Whittaker N reported home first
at odds of 27-1.
BURKE WINS SIX: Trainer Ron Burke was on fire last week, scoring three
times on Friday (Jan. 25) and Saturday (Jan. 26). All six of Burke’s winners
were driven by his go-to Gingras.
Erv Miller had a superb
January. His 10 starts produced an in-the-money percentage of 90, a positive
ROI of 28 percent and earnings per start of $5,203.
Miller pulled off a rare
training ‘feature race double’ two weeks ago. On Friday (Jan. 18), he took the
Preferred Handicap for trotters with Trolley before following that up the next
night with Geez Joe, who won the Preferred Handicap for pacers.
PICK-4
POPULAR AS EVER: Last weekend, the
Big M’s 50-Cent Pick-4 wager saw something it hadn’t yet seen at the current
meeting, which got underway Oct. 12.
For the first time, the total
wagered on the bet with the $50,000 guarantee and low 15 percent takeout,
topped $100,000 for consecutive race cards. On Friday (Jan. 25), $100,658 was
pushed through the windows before a total of $104,363 was put in play the
following night.
Live racing takes place at
the Meadowlands this Friday (Feb. 1) and Saturday (Feb. 2). Post time is 7:15
p.m.
SWIPE AND SCORE: Come on out to the Meadowlands on Friday (Feb. 1) and
win some cash.
Players Club Members are
urged to swipe their Players Club cards and win a betting voucher worth up to
$500. Prizes range from $2 to $500. Voucher will print after the first swipe,
and there is one swipe per person.
If you are not a club member,
get in touch with James Johnston (jjohnston@playmeadowlands.com) or any Players
Club representative to sign up.
WIN A 50” TV: On Saturday (Feb. 2), a pair of 50” Smart TVs and one
32” TV will be taken home by some lucky on-track patrons. Entry forms can be
found in the live harness program or at the Players Club Desk.
THE BIG GAME: Could there be $100 million in wagers placed in the
State of New Jersey on Pro Football’s Big Game on Sunday (Feb. 3)? Could be.
Get in on the action at the Meadowlands’ FanDuel Sports Book, which will have
the point spread and over/under action as well as an amazing abundance of prop
bets on the game that kicks off at 6:30 p.m. between the New England Patriots
and Los Angeles Rams.
Catch – and get – the action
at the Meadowlands.
