Meadowlands Media Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Since the start
of 2021, The Meadowlands has been experimenting with an earlier-than-usual post
time of 6 p.m. and the undertaking has proven extremely successful over the
first eight weeks of the year.
“The idea was, during the COVID-19
era, people were not staying up late,” said track Chief Operating Officer and
General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “And shifting players’ attention from the
late-night races [that take place from 11 p.m.-midnight] and moving those eyes
to the hour from 6-7 p.m. was worth trying. The early post time created a new
dynamic, starting with our pre-game show, which gets underway at 5:27 p.m.”
On a typical weekend, after the
Gulfstream Park races end, the Late Pick-4 at Santa Anita and The Meadowlands’
20-cent Pick-5 kick off the nighttime action for both Harness and Thoroughbred
players around the world.
“As a result,” said Settlemoir, “the
top Thoroughbred hubs wagered 45 percent more on The Meadowlands last Saturday
(Feb. 20) than they did as compared to the comparable Saturday in 2020.”
Last week, The Big M’s streak of
betting at least $3.4 million on Saturdays stayed intact, as action has
exceeded that number on all eight occasions in 2021. Last Saturday’s all-source
total of $3,871,820 – an increase of $1.1 million over the comparable card from
last year – was the fifth-highest night of business this year. The per race
average was $258,121. The lofty $3.8-million figure was reached three times
during all of 2020.
The Big M’s signature wager, the
50-cent Pick-4, has seen the most prolific pools of the season, with an average
of $94,857 in total action each the time wager takes place, which is twice a
night, beginning nightly in the sixth and 10th races, respectively.
The 20-cent Pick-5 – which averages
$88,540 in total play – always gets the night off to a good start in the first
race. The last two Saturdays were right on the number as $88,541 (Feb. 20) and
$86,011 (Feb. 13) were wagered, respectively, serving as the catalyst for
superb race one overall total pools of $389,159 and $367,134, respectively.
“The Meadowlands has made an
increased effort to keep the horseplayer in action longer with low-takeout and
low-minimum bets,” said Settlemoir. “The player response has been sensational,
resulting in the largest pools we have seen in over a decade. The larger
players can now freely bet larger amounts, knowing the pools are big enough to
play into, fueled by average field size, which is at 9.56.
“The early post has exposed more
Thoroughbred players to The Meadowlands signal. This new dynamic has created an
average handle of $3,455,779 per night, far surpassing every night time signal
of any breed in North America.”
SIMULCAST HEAVEN: For those who love betting the
runners as well as the pacers and trotters, the featured simulcast action
offered at The Big M on Saturday will be from Florida’s Gulfstream Park, which
has a spectacular card in store.
The 14-race program will feature nine
events with purses of $100,000 or more, with the feature being the Grade 2,
$300,000 Fountain of Youth at a mile and a sixteenth for 3-year-olds who are
Kentucky Derby hopefuls. Post time for the first race at Gulfstream is 11:30
a.m. The Fountain of Youth is race 14 and has a post time of 6:10 p.m.
GET SOCIAL: You can always check in with the team
at The Meadowlands on Twitter.
For early changes, racing information
and staff selections, go to @themeadowlands or #playbigm.
On race nights, stay in touch with
the Big M’s Dave Brower (@eedoogie), Dave Little (@DaveLittleBigM), Ken
Warkentin (@kenvoiceover), Shades Demsky (@shadesonracing) and Jessica Otten
(@JessicaOtten1).
FREE PPs FOR ALL: Thanks to an agreement between The
Meadowlands and TrackMaster, past performances for every race of every Big M
program are now available at no cost.
To access the free PPs, go to playmeadowlands.com.
$100,000 GUARANTEED: Every night, The Meadowlands
guarantees big green on both editions of its signature wager, as each 50-cent
Pick-4 sports a $50,000 guaranteed pool.
CHECK OUT THE PICKS: For those who need to get a leg up on
the action, go to playmeadowlands.com
to see track oddsmaker and analyst Brower’s selections and commentary. Click on
the “handicapping” tab and go to “race reviews”.
Brower’s input is generally available
48 hours before every card.
Additionally, track announcer
Warkentin’s blog is available on the site and offers his picks and analysis.
THE SCHEDULE: Live racing at The Meadowlands takes
place every Friday and Saturday evening. Post time is 6 p.m.
The track’s live “Racing from the
Meadowlands” pre-game show begins at 5:27 p.m.
CAN’T MAKE IT TO THE TRACK? There are several options for those
who would rather catch the action from The Big M at home.
Racing fans can watch all the races
live on the Roberts Television Network (rtn.tv). In
addition, they can watch and wager by going to the Television Games Network (tvg.com) or their favorite Advance-deposit Wagering
site (ADW).
GET YOUR HOOPS ACTION: Mayhem is upon us.
In 17 days, the 68 teams that will
participate in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament will be chosen on
“Selection Sunday”, and players can watch and wager on all the action in The
Big M’s FanDuel Sportsbook.
But there is still plenty of regular
season and conference tournament action to bet on until then, as well as the
NBA, NHL, Premier and Champions League soccer and a host of other sports.
The sportsbook is open Sunday-Friday
from 10 a.m.-midnight and Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 a.m. The cash counter is open
from 10 a.m.-11 p.m.
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