Meadowlands Media Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – A fast opening
quarter is sometimes a bad thing in a harness race, given that in the latter
stages of the mile, the horse who sprinted to the top might be on fumes in deep
stretch.
But management at The Meadowlands is
thrilled at the giant opening quarter the track has experienced in 2021 from a
business standpoint and hopes to continue that momentum right through the end
of the year.
In fact, the first quarter of 2021 at
the mile oval – which concluded last Saturday (March 27) – has been one not
seen in at least 10 years.
“As the United States and New Jersey
rebound from the pandemic of 2020,” said track Chief Operating Officer and
General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “The handle during the first quarter of 2021
at The Meadowlands indicates that our track has become an increasingly popular
wagering destination with horseplayers around the world. The comparisons to
previous years are staggering.”
Thus far in 2021, there have been 25
programs that have seen 341 races contested. The total handle of $81,192,515
computes to an average handle per card of $3,247,700, good for a per race of
$238,101.
Those numbers were far better than
just one year ago, when 2020 saw an opening quarter of 21 nights (four were
lost due to COVID-19) and 276 races account for total action of $55,149,060,
which averaged out to $2,626,145 per night and $199,815 per race.
When you make the comparison to 10
years ago, immediately before Jeff Gural saw fit to see racing continue at The
Big M when the State of New Jersey decided it was getting out of the harness
racing business, the differences were even more staggering.
That year – 2011 – nightly business
averaged $2,280,293 and the per race was $186,723, excellent on the current
national harness racing scale, but a huge 28 percent less than the action seen
this year at the industry’s handle leader.
When comparing nights where
all-source wagering is $3 million, the numbers look favorably on 2021.
During 2011, the first quarter saw
one night where $3 million was bet. Last year, the magic number was bested
twice during January, February and March, but so far this year, action has
already busted the $3 million barrier a remarkable 16 times.
Highest single handle of the quarter?
Not surprisingly, 2021 has it by a lot, at $4.56 million, followed by 2011’s
$3.09M and 2020’s $3.06M.
“The Meadowlands and the State of New
Jersey are proud to say that we are both coming back from the pandemic in a big
way,” said Settlemoir. “Thanks to the help of Gov. Murphy and the State
Legislature, The Big M will once again be turned into a valuable asset, a
sparkling facility that is full of life.”
That appears to be accurate, given
the number of choices a patron has when they arrive at the facility.
Take this Saturday (April 3), for
example.
During the day, simulcast fans can
bet all the best Thoroughbred action in the country, as well as the NCAA
Basketball Tournament’s semifinals.
Racing fans will have the Kentucky
Derby on their minds as the three final major preps for the May 1 “Run for the
Roses” take place. New York’s Aqueduct Racetrack will host the Wood Memorial
(which has a post time of 5:58 p.m.), California’s Santa Anita Park has the
Santa Anita Derby (6:30 p.m.) and Kentucky’s Keeneland Race Course has the
Bluegrass (6:35 p.m.).
College hoop fans will have the
opportunity to watch and wager on the Houston vs. Baylor (-5, -215 money line)
game, which tips off at 5:14 p.m. Then, at 8:34 p.m., tournament favorite
Gonzaga (-14, -1100) takes on UCLA. The two winners will meet in the
championship game Monday (April 4) at 9 p.m.
Of course, for those who like The Big
M for the world’s best harness action, clear weather is expected for Saturday,
which will allow on-track patrons to relax outdoors in a safe socially distant
setting, watching the races while enjoying the action with their favorite food
and beverage.
MORE MONEY: Effective Friday (April 2), The
Meadowlands will offer purse increases ranging from $500 to $2,500, with the lower
classes getting smaller boosts and the higher classes’ purses swelling even
more.
There are several factors that went
into the added green.
“We take over a million dollars a
year from sports betting for purses,” said Jeff Gural, the chairman and chief
executive officer of the mile oval. “We have sponsors and we received a subsidy
from the state.”
The larger purses should give The Big
M a leg up on area tracks with slots-revenue bloated purse structures in the
never-ending battle for horses as the mile oval continues to card 13 races a
night with as many 10-horse fields as possible.
THE SCHEDULE: Live racing continues every Friday
and Saturday with a first-race post time of 6:20 p.m.
Big M TV’s live “Racing from The
Meadowlands” pre-game show, which provides news and notes, features, a look at
that evening’s featured action and staff selections, gets underway at 5:47 p.m.
FREE, FREE, FREE: The Meadowlands offers past
performances for every race of every card at no cost.
To get your free PPs, go to The Big
M’s website, playmeadowlands.com.
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), Andrew Demsky (@shadesonracing) and Jessica Otten
(@JessicaOtten1).
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.
THE BIG M HAS THE BEST BOOK: The Meadowlands’ FanDuel Sportsbook,
the leading facility of its type in the country, will not only offer wagering
on the college basketball tournament, but a plethora of other sports as well.
For starters, Major League Baseball
begins its 162-game regular season marathon at 1 p.m. on Thursday (April 1),
and one of the games taking place will be the New York Yankees (-198) hosting
the Toronto Blue Jays.
In addition to the MLB, bettors can
get action on the NBA, NHL, professional golf’s Texas Open (where Jordan Spieth
is the favorite at +430), and much, much more.
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.
