The $91,912 during May is an increase of 7.8 per cent versus April (carryover date excluded). May saw a nearly 24 per cent increase in average pool size compared to January, which traditionally provides some of the larger nightly handles of the year.

May featured three nights with a total Late Pick Four pool of more than $100,000. The rest of 2017 has featured just one other date with a six-figure pool size. The Late Pick Four offers a 50-cent minimum with 15 per cent takeout.

“Our Late Pick Four has been an extremely popular wager for several years now, but we have made a greater effort to promote it and highlight it to our fans since the Championship Meet began in early May,” explained Meadowlands COO/GM Jason Settlemoir. “We have had our television handicappers put together tickets on the broadcast and spend more time highlighting the races in the sequence in addition to adding some new graphics to promote the wager through the simulcast feed.”

Overall handle on Meadowlands races continues its strength, with per-race handle at $225,192 during May, an increase of 2.8 per cent over April and 8.8 per cent over March.

“Our entire staff here continues to work tirelessly to put together the best product we can for our fans in the face of some tremendous obstacles and competition,” said Settlemoir. “With our major stakes events right around the corner, I am very pleased with the positive momentum we are riding and look forward to continuing it throughout the summer.”

This weekend’s Late Pick Four sequences feature an average of 8.9 wagering interests per leg including two fields of 10 on Friday and three fields of 10 on Saturday.

Breakfast With The Babies Saturday Morning at The Meadowlands

Spring is in the air (kind of) in New Jersey and brings with it the first two-year-old races of the 2017 season at the Meadowlands. The races will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 3.

The Meadowlands likes to call it ‘Breakfast With The Babies’ and will open the doors to both the grandstand and Trotters owner's club at 9:30 a.m. Light refreshments will be available in Trotters, along with programs for the races.

You may get ahead of the curve by downloading the Baby Race program in advance.

Painting a picture of the races with words will be Meadowlands GM Jason Settlemoir and some of the highlights he'll be calling include brothers to Huntsville, Father Patrick, Bettor Sweet and the $450,000 yearling brother to Darlinonthebeach.

Come on out, enjoy a glimpse into the future and a slice of delicious bobka at the Meadowlands.

(Meadowlands Racetrack)