Meadowlands Media Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – On February 7,
management at the Meadowlands gave their wagering menu a big shakeup, and while
the early returns on the new 20-cent-base Pick-5 and additional 50-cent Pick-4
have been solid, the bet that’s provided the biggest jolt of energy has been
the 20-cent Pick-6, which looks fresh off a considerable layoff.
“When you go back to the days when
the Pick-6 was a staple at many tracks,” said Big M Chief Operating Officer and
General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “You have to remember that when the bet was
flourishing, the multi-race options were the Daily Double and the Pick-3. What
happened was, as those racetracks added Pick-4s and Pick-5s to their wagering
menus, the Pick-6 got lost in the shuffle.”
The Pick-6 is now back and it’s
experiencing a renaissance at the Big M.
When the Meadowlands last offered a
Pick-6 in 2012, the Opening Night pool of $3,302 created a one-day carryover of
$1,975. The next night saw a pool of $2,610 and a two-day carryover of $3,534.
Remarkably, one week later, the four-day carryover had only reached $8,435.
Three weeks ago, the first Pick-6
pool of this era was $17,985, or five times more than the initial 2012 pot. The
next night, the pool expanded to $24,474 and one sharp player had the only
winning ticket and walked away with $20,797. That’s quite a before ($5,912) and
after ($42,549) when comparing the first two pools during the different eras.
On Saturday (Feb. 15), in only the
fourth time the Pick-6 was offered, the bet failed to yield a ticket with all
six winners, creating a carryover (the first in eight years) of $14,376 that
served as the catalyst for a total pool of just over $91,000 after $76,682 in
“new money” was wagered the following Friday. Since the carryover money is
“rake free”, bettors were actually wagering into a rare “player’s advantage”.
Instead of a takeout, the bettor’s edge was 3 percent.
“When the Meadowlands decided to
bring back the Pick-6, it had to be a better version that would allow people to
participate without waiting weeks for the carryover to build up,” said
Settlemoir. “We wanted to go with the traditional no-jackpot format. The 2020
version would lower the minimum to 20 cents and lowered the takeout to 15
percent. It didn’t take very long to realize that the new version of the
Meadowlands’ Pick-6 was a hit.”
The popularity of the Pick-6 is
continuing to build momentum. The most recent pool was its biggest yet, as
$29,150 was pushed through the windows on Feb. 22.
“So far, the revamped version of the
Pick-6 has exceeded all expectations,” said Settlemoir. “And the new wagering
menu has definitely brought new eyes to the Meadowlands product. The 20-cent
Pick-5 ($75,544 on Feb. 22) and Late 50-cent Pick-4 ($75,592 on Feb. 21) also
established season highs last weekend.”
Other wagering highlights from last
weekend include:
·
All-source total handles
of $2.68 million on both Friday and Saturday
·
Average handle per race
for the 26-race weekend of $206,806
·
An Early Pick-4 pool of
$89,159 on Saturday
REMINDER: The Meadowlands races every Friday
and Saturday with a first race post time of 6:55 p.m. The live “Racing from the
Meadowlands” simulcast show gets underway at 6:22 p.m. Joining Dave Brower this
weekend on set will be Tioga and Vernon Downs’ TV personality Brett Risi.
The wagering menu includes the
20-cent Pick-5 (race one), which has a guaranteed pool of $25,000; 20-cent
Pick-6 (race four); 50-cent Early Pick-4 (race six), which has a $50,000
guarantee; and 50-cent Late Pick-4 (race 10). All four wagers offer a low 15 percent
takeout.
Free program pages for the Early
Pick-4 and Late 20-cent Jackpot Super High-Five are available at ustrotting.com and playmeadowlands.com.
PICK-6 CLARIFICATION: Payouts for the Pick-6 are done in
this fashion:
·
When there are ticket(s)
with six winners, all the money in the pool (minus the 15 percent takeout) is
returned to those winners
·
When there are no
tickets with six winners, 25 percent of the pool is paid out to those with five
winners (a “consolation”). Then, 75 percent is carried over to the next time
the wager is offered
WISHES IT WAS ALWAYS FEBRUARY: Last year, Yannick Gingras crushed
the Meadowlands like Godzilla during February, winning seven races on Feb. 1
followed by a six-bagger the next night. He finished the month with a
ridiculous 33 wins.
While he hasn’t been quite as
dominant during the second month of 2020, he has been dominant nonetheless. The
40-year-old pilot ripped it up last weekend, winning five races on both Friday
and Saturday, to up his monthly total to 19 with two race cards remaining.
Trainer Ron Burke also excelled last
weekend, sending out seven winners, five of which were handled by his go-to
driver Gingras.
WHHC QUALIFIER: On Saturday (March 7), the Big M will
host its March World Harness Handicapping Championship Qualifier. The top two
finishers will qualify for the WHHC Final. It’s only $200 to play ($100 to
enter; $100 bankroll). For complete information, go to playmeadowlands.com.
WHAT’S GOING ON….
·
On Feb. 28, card players
who are 21 or older can play Texas Hold’em on “Free Poker Friday”, hosted by
World Free Poker.
·
Every live racing night,
place a win bet on the fourth race, and if you win, get the “winning
experience” and have your picture taken in the winner’s circle. Those who
qualify should proceed to the winner’s circle immediately after the race.
