Meadowlands Media Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – In the classic
1941 movie “The Maltese Falcon”, Sam Spade, played brilliantly by Humphrey
Bogart, utters the line “The stuff that dreams are made of.”
Maybe Bogie was talking about
Hambletonian Day, because that’s exactly how owners, trainers, drivers and fans
of the game feel on the first Saturday in August when they experience all there
is to experience on harness racing’s biggest day.
Bettors? Well, they’ve been dreaming
about this day, too.
“The challenge for the team at The
Meadowlands,” said track Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason
Settlemoir, “was to create a wagering menu that is worthy of the greatest day
in harness racing. Giving horseplayers low takeouts and a plethora of real
opportunities to make scores. This will create a high level of not only North
American excitement, but International excitement as well on our biggest day.”
The Hambletonian Day card takes place
on Saturday (August 7) and is the final program of The Championship Meeting,
which has been conducted in honor of the Big M’s late, great, longtime racing
secretary Joe DeFrank. Post time is noon. The stakes-laden card offers purses
totaling $3.6 million.
The Meadowlands will offer free
program pages, and those past performances are usually available 48 hours
before the race card and can be accessed by going to playmeadowlands.com.
The wagering will be fast and furious
on the 16-race extravaganza, with only one wager, the Trifecta, having a
takeout greater than 20 percent. There will be a total of nine bets with a low
15 percent takeout, including the track’s most popular puzzle, the 50-cent
Pick-4. That wager will offer a $75,000 guaranteed pool on races eight through
11 and offer a $125,000 promise on races 12 through 15. Races 14 and 15 are the
Hambletonian Oaks and Hambletonian, respectively.
The 20-cent Pick-6 has been a hit
with bettors all meeting long, so Big M fans will be able to double their fun
on Saturday, when the wager is offered on both races one through six and 10
through 15.
Twenty-cent Pick-5 players will have
to alter their plans a bit. That bet, which usually begins in race one, will
span races three through seven on Saturday.
The 20-cent Survivor Pick-7 will be
offered later than usual, as it will get underway in race five.
Offering some extra opportunities to
make a hit will be the 10-cent Pentafecta/Hi-5, which will be offered three
times, on races 14, 15 and 16.
There will be 10-cent Superfectas on
every race, and, on the Hambletonian Oaks and Hambletonian, there will be a
special daily double wager.
Because it is the last day of the
meeting, there will be mandatory payouts for the Pick-5 (race three), Pick-7
(race five), Pick-6 (race 10), Pick-4 (race 12) and Pentafecta/Hi-5 (race 16).
“Mr. [Jeff] Gural and I have said
this on many occasions,” said Settlemoir, “any formula to reinvent The
Meadowlands must include improved wagering opportunities for the horseplayers.
As handle grows, the track, the horsemen, the State and our simulcast partners
grow with us.
“Lowering takeouts and increasing
pool size are important as they create value for the horseplayer. Combine a
solid wagering menu and low takeouts with great racing and full fields, and you
have The Meadowlands’ successful 2021 season, where average handle has exploded
to well over $3 million per night.”
HOW TO WATCH: For those who can’t make it out to
the track, there will be plenty of outlets showing all or part of the
Hambletonian Day card.
The CBS Sports Network will air the
Hambletonian Oaks and Hambletonian live from 5:30-6:30 p.m. with Greg Blanchard
serving as host. The voice of The Big M, Ken Warkentin, will be calling his
22nd Hambletonian.
Fox Sports 2 will cut in from its
live presentation of racing from Saratoga to show The Hambletonian. The Big M
TV team of Dave Brower and Dave Little will be on-set with Jessica Otten and
Gabe Prewitt providing features and interviews.
The Meadowlands Facebook page (facebook.com/meadowlandsracetrack)
and YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/MeadowlandsRacetrack)
will show the entire race card live, as will the Roberts Television Network (rtn.tv).
The Television Games Network (tvg.com) will send one of their popular
personalities, Caton Bredar, to The Meadowlands to keep fans of that ADW (advance
deposit wagering) service on top of the action all day long.
READ ALL ABOUT IT: For all things Hambletonian on the
internet, check out these websites: playmeadowlands.com
(The Meadowlands), hambletonian.com
(Hambletonian Society), ustrotting.com
(United States Trotting Association), drf.com/harness
(DRF Harness), harnessracingupdate.com
(Harness Racing Update), harnesslink.com
(Harness Link) and standardbredcanada.ca
(Standardbred Canada).
TV TEAM AT FULL STRENGTH: Catch The Meadowlands’ live in-house
simulcast presentation all day long on Hambletonian Day.
The festivities kick off with the
pre-game show at 11:20 a.m. with Little and Brower talking about the day’s
events. In addition to “The Two Daves'', Warkentin will call the races, Otten
will bring to life what’s happening in the back paddock, Prewitt will have
winner’s circle reaction, Shades Demsky – the regular track announcer at The
Big M’s sister venue Tioga Downs – will have exclusive Twitter content and Edison
Hatter – who calls the races at Freehold Raceway – will serve in several
capacities during the day, primarily giving out Pick-4 tickets.
START TWEETING: 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.
Stay in
touch with the Big M’s Brower (@eedoogie), Little (@DaveLittleBigM), Warkentin
(@kenvoiceover), Otten (@JessicaOtten1), Demsky (@ShadesOnRacing) and Hatter
(@Edison_1999_).
BROWER’S
BEST BETS: For
those who like to get a leg up on the action, go to playmeadowlands.com to see oddsmaker
Brower’s selections and analysis. Click on the “handicapping” tab and go to
“race reviews”.
Brower’s input is generally available 48 hours before every card.
ACTION RULES AT FANDUEL: Not only does The Meadowlands offer
the best harness action in the world, but it also has one of the leading
sportsbooks in the country inside the track, The FanDuel Sportsbook.
Racing fans can duck into the ‘book’
during the Hambletonian Day card and get their sports betting action. There, as
always, is a plethora of opportunities, ranging from Major League Baseball to
the Olympic Games.
On Thursday (August 5), fans of the
surging New York Yankees can bet the Bronx Bombers at -205 to defeat the
Seattle Mariners.
Do you like prop bets? How about some
long balls from the newest Yankees? If you want to play Joe Gallo to hit a home
run, the odds are +190. If you want to take a shot with Anthony Rizzo, the odds
are +370.
Hours for the sportsbook are
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.
