Meadowlands Pace Night (July 13) at the Meadowlands featured many things that bettors like, apparently, as total wagering on the 13-race, stakes-laden card topped $4 million, the first time in 2019 wagering reached that lofty level at the mile oval.

Five favourites did emerge victorious on the program on which $4,044,303 was bet, but some of the post-time choices that went down clearly raised some eyebrows – and helped some to handsome scores – as odds-on choices Green Manalishi S (3-5 odds), Atlanta (1-5), Captain Crunch (1-2) and Warrawee Ubeaut (4-5) all tasted defeat in major stakes events. For a complete recap of Meadowlands Pace Night, including replays and analysis of all the major races, click here.

Large fields at an added distance are always a big draw at the ‘Big M,’ and on Saturday night, the Golden Girls (11 horses), Hambletonian Maturity (11), William Haughton (12) and Mistletoe Shalee (12) were all contested with overflow fields at a mile and an eighth. Betting on those four races totaled just under $1.6 million, good for an average of $397,614 per race.

“The betting public embracing the added distance races with larger fields on Meadowlands Pace Night should definitely be considered a big positive step forward for our sport,” said Hambletonian Society President/CEO John Campbell. “The atmosphere in the building was electric. You could tell it was a special night.”

Big M management decided to double up on the track’s signature wager – the 50-Cent Pick-4 – and both times big pools were the result. In the initial Pick-4 (Races 6-9), a total of $146,229 – the most of any Pick-4 this year – was pushed through the windows, while in the Late Pick-4 (Races 10-13), wagering totaled $122,070.

The 50-Cent Pick-5 total of $116,401 was by far the largest non-carryover pool of 2019. Both the Pick-4 and Pick-5 both offered a low takeout of 15 per cent.

Not surprisingly, the race on which the most wagering dollars were plunked down was the Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace, where $499,925 was put in play. Finishing a close second was the Golden Girls, which saw total action of $480,757.

“We are so appreciative of our owners, trainers, drivers, and of course, our faithful fans for a big Meadowlands Pace Night,” said Meadowlands Racetrack COO/GM Jason Settlemoir. “And we look forward to that support continuing through the end of the meeting, which concludes on Saturday, August 3 with the $1 million Hambletonian serving as the centrepiece.”

(With files from the Meadowlands Racetrack)