Meadowlands Media Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – It’s been a
good four months for business at the Meadowlands thus far in 2019, and April
was the best month yet when you consider where things were just one year
before.
An identical total of eight race
cards were contested at the Big M in both April of 2018 and 2019, but the
similarities end there.
A year ago, all-source handle totaled
$18,288,404, good for an average per race card of $2.286 million. During 2019,
$22,342,097 was put in play, an average of $2.792 million.
“On Saturday (April 27), we handled
$3 million,” said track Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason
Settlemoir. “A year ago, on the corresponding card, we bet $2.3 million, so we
were up 31 percent. We are hoping to keep that momentum this Saturday (May 4)
as we expect a big Kentucky Derby Day crowd to bet the “Run for the Roses” as
well as the Graduate and Cutler, which are on our live harness card at night.”
The Big M has always been a track
where players can bet against favorites with confidence, and that was on
display during April as a mere 26 percent of post-time choices (28 from 104
races) hit the wire first. Of harness tracks currently racing, the median
percentage of winning chalks is 46 percent, according to statistics provided by
the United States Trotting Association.
Friday nights at the Big M feature a
new wager – the Can-Am Pick-4 – that’s been a big hit. It requires a player to
pick two winners at the Meadowlands and two more at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Since
its inception on March 22, the CAP4 has averaged a little over $61,000 per
pool, and last week, after a pair of favorites and two longshots won, the
payout for the bet with the 20-Cent base and low 15 percent takeout was
$361.70.
When you consider that a player could
single a horse in one leg and use five in the other three and only spend $25,
that makes the CAP4 a great value play.
The Big M’s 50-Cent Pick-5 and Pick-4
continue to attract steady action week after week, and that was clearly the case
over the last eight racing programs. The popular Big M puzzles had average
pools of $59,980 and $99,532, respectively, during April.
Free program pages for the 20-Cent
Can-Am Pick-4 and Meadowlands’ 50-Cent Pick-4 are available at www.playmeadowlands.com
and www.ustrotting.com.
DERBY DAY IS HERE: The 145th running of the
Kentucky Derby is Saturday (May 4). Come on out to the Meadowlands and bet the
entire Churchill Downs card, which gets underway at 10:30 a.m. (Big M gates
open at 9 a.m.)
Post time for the Kentucky Derby is
6:46 p.m. Players are reminded that morning-line favorite Omaha Beach has been
scratched allowing Bodexpress to draw in from the also eligible list.
In the Gallery, there will be a
special Derby Day lunch buffet for $39.95. Food service begins at 11:30 a.m.
That evening in Pink restaurant,
there will be a southern inspired buffet for $54.95 that begins at 4:30 p.m.
Call 201-THE-BIGM for reservations.
There will be a $100 Derby win-wager
contest with entry forms available in the Derby program and at the Players Club
Desk. Contestants must enter by 5 p.m.
In addition, there will be a $100
live win-wager contest beginning at 6 p.m. with those entry forms available in
the live harness program as well as the Players Club Desk. Ten winning
contestants will be selected throughout the evening.
It wouldn’t be Derby Day without a
hat contest for the ladies who come out to the track. Contestants can register
from 2-4:45 p.m. at the Clubhouse Main Entrance. Judging will take place in
front of the winner’s circle at 5 p.m. There are five cash prizes up for grabs,
ranging from $50 up to $500.
TAKE AIM AT HORSEPLAY: On Friday (May 3), take your best
shot in the Big M’s Horseplay Giveaway.
To play, contestants must complete an
entry form and grab a free toy horse at the Players Club Desk or the outdoor
Horseplay table.
If you throw your horse into the
window of the target car, you qualify to win a $100 betting voucher. In the
event you win the voucher, you will then be entered in a drawing on Friday,
August 2, where the prize is a 2019 Toyota C-HR.
In addition, for each horse that
makes it into the target car, the Meadowlands will donate $10 to a designated
charity. During May, the money will go to A Lot to Grow. The contest will be
conducted each night of live racing until the end of the meeting.
