EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The
Meadowlands hosts live racing for the first time in 2019 this Friday and
Saturday (post time, 7:15 p.m.) hoping to keep things rolling after an
outstanding Saturday (Dec. 29) night program that saw the largest single-card
handle of the meeting.
A total of $2,986,115 was
wagered on the 14 races, which was good for an average per race of $213,293. As
usual, the 50-Cent Pick-5 and 50-Cent Pick-4 were extremely popular, with
$69,507 and $94,136, respectively, being wagered into those pools.
The Winter portion of the
2018-19 racing year kicks off Friday with some wagering menu changes to ring in
the new year, as the 50-Cent Pick-5 moves to race one, the Survivor wager to
race three and the 20-Cent Jackpot Super High-Fives to the fifth and last,
respectively.
The 50-Cent Pick-4 will
remain on race eight, the lone Pick-3 will be offered on the final three races
of the night and Daily Doubles lovers are sure to love the new format, as eight
Doubles will be available on the Friday and Saturday cards.
Some of harness racing’s best
value wagers will continue to have low takeout rates of 15 percent: the 50-Cent
Pick-5 (guaranteed pool of $25,000), 20-Cent Survivor and 50-Cent Pick-4
($50,000 promise).
The 20-Cent Jackpot Super
High-Fives will start 2019 with carryovers, as on Friday the fifth race JSH5
will offer $18,638 before wagering starts while race 13’s will begin with
$20,652 in the pot.
Free program pages for the
Big M’s races are available at www.playmeadowlands.com and www.ustrotting.com.
THAT’S A HALF-DOZEN,
COUSIN: Brett Miller and Yannick
Gingras wore out a path to the winner’s circle last weekend (Dec. 27-29) as
each drove six winners. Big M fans are losing one of their favorites, effective
immediately, as Miller will now be relocating to his native Ohio.
On the training side, Ron
Burke led the way with four winner’s circle visits.
GET WILD BETTING THE
NFL: In addition to the best
harness racing anywhere, the Big M’s FanDuel Sportsbook figures to be buzzing
more than usual this weekend.
On Saturday (Jan. 5), the Wild
Card round of the National Football League playoffs begin at 4:35 p.m. when the
Indianapolis Colts travel to Houston to take on the Texans. At 8:15 p.m., the
Dallas Cowboys will host the Seattle Seahawks.
Sunday (Jan. 6) will offer
another NFL doubleheader as the L.A. Chargers will take on the Ravens in
Baltimore at 1:05 p.m. before the Chicago Bears host the defending Super Bowl
champion Philadelphia Eagles at 4:40 p.m.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S TITLE
TILT: Get to the sports book
early if you want a seat on Monday (Jan. 7), as a pair of undefeated
powerhouses will go at it in the College Football Playoff Championship game
when the Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers go head-to-head.
Kickoff is 8 p.m.
