By Dave Little, Meadowlands Media Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – The wagering on
Meadowlands Pace Night Saturday at The Meadowlands got off to a fast start and
just kept on rolling all night long.
When all the money was counted, a
total of $5,051,261 was wagered on the 13-race program, by far the most in the
industry this year and most on a Pace Night card since 2008, when betting was
$5,371,055. This year’s total represented an increase of 25 percent over 2019
when total action was $4,044,303.
The play on Saturday was hot and
heavy from the start, as $419,581 was wagered in the first race, which included
$130,539 in the 20-cent Pick-5 pool, a 2020 Big M best.
The track offered a $100,000
guaranteed pool on the Early 50-cent Pick-4 in Race 6, and wagering blew past
that number, as another seasonal best – $191,288 – was poured into the pot.
The 11th race offered a
mandatory payout on the 20-cent Jackpot Super High-Five, and $133,578 in “new
money” was added to the carryover of $65,089 to create a total pool of
$198,667. Those who held tickets bearing the winning combination of 4-2-11-3-1
cashed in for $3,765.32.
Not surprisingly, the Meadowlands
Pace took the most action of any single race on the card, with a total of
$645,423 bet, the largest total since the 2013 Pace, when $662,159 was pushed
through the windows.
A LITTLE MORE: When it came to the driver’s colony
on Pace Night, all 13 races were won by some of the very best in the game.
Dexter Dunn and Andy McCarthy won three races apiece, followed by Yannick
Gingras and Brian Sears, who each scored twice. The remaining races were taken
by Tim Tetrick, Scott Zeron and Dave Miller. … Racing resumes Friday at 7:15
p.m.
