Lately at The Meadowlands, it’s been a playground for 20-cent Pick-6 fans, as carryovers have been offered each of the last two Fridays (Feb. 4 and 11), and while that streak will end when racing resumes this Friday (Feb. 18), you can bet The Big M faithful will watch closely to see if another carryover is imminent when the next sequence concludes.

“The 20-cent Pick-6 has been a nice addition to The Meadowlands wagering menu,” said Jason Settlemoir, Chief Operating Officer and General Manager. “The 15 per cent rake and negative takeout on carryover nights has created a very popular dynamic for our horseplayers. It certainly has brought players to our signal for the later races. Given the low minimum, using two horses per race costs $12.80, which is an easily affordable play for most of our guests.”

How about a bet that pays out more than it takes in?

On February 4, there was a double carryover of $14,033, which led to $61,639 in “new money” being bet into the pool, for a grand total of $75,672. Since the carryover is not subject to the “rake,” that meant players were vying for $66,427, a surplus of $4,788, good for a return of 107 per cent.

Many a bettor cashed in that night, as the payout of $2,012.86 came after a sequence where winner’s odds were an anything-but-outrageous 3-1, 3-5, 4-1, 4-5, 1-1 and 9-2. Players who used three horses in all six legs – and ended up with a winning ticket – needed only invest $145.80 to walk away with the cash. Had those same players singled one of the two odds-on choices, their investment plummeted to $48.60.

While a $2,000 hit is something to brag about, cashing in for $13,748.98 is worthy of a much louder celebration. That was the return after a carryover of $8,572 led to $38,443 in new money for a total pool of $47,016 on February 11. Those three winning tickets came from a pool that had a surplus of $2,806, a return of 107 per cent for a second consecutive Pick-6 carryover.

The challenging sequence saw winner’s odds of 15-1, 6-1, 8-1, 8-5, 6-5 and 5-2 while still including two post-time choices.

The 20-cent Pick-6 is one of a half-dozen opportunities players get nightly to go for big green while swimming in large pools that offer a low 15 per cent takeout.

Here is a list of those wagers, and when they are offered:

• Race 1: 20-cent Pick-5
• Race 3: 20-cent Survivor Pick-7
• Race 6: 50-cent Early Pick-4 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
• Race 8: 20-cent Pick-6
• Race 10: 50-cent Late Pick-4 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
• Race 13: 10-cent Pentafecta/Hi-5

GINGRAS AND BURKE KEEP ROLLING: The early season dominance of the Dynamic Duo that is driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Ron Burke continues to chug along.

Last weekend (February 11-12), Gingras had won only twice from the first 22 races, but then swept the Saturday night Late 50-cent Pick-4 to finish with a half-dozen winner’s circle visits. The 42-year-old Hall of Fame bound pilot now has 37 winners at the Winter Meeting, which puts him well in front of Joe Bongiorno, who is next with 19 trips to victory lane.

The 52-year-old Hall of Fame bound Burke won five times over the course of last Friday and Saturday – with his go-to guy in green Gingras guiding four – and now has 20 wins at the meeting, precisely double the number of runner-up Jeff Cullipher.

Gingras and Burke have teamed up to win the last two Saturday night Preferred paces with Covered Bridge.

WHHC QUALIFIER: Forget about a dollar and a dream. At The Big M on Saturday night (Feb. 19), all it takes is $200 and some handicapping skill when $5,000 in prize money and two seats to the World Harness Handicapping Championship Final on September 10 are at stake in another qualifier.

Walk-ups will be accepted from 5:30-6:20 p.m., and players may choose to pay the non-refundable entry fee either by cash or money order/cashier’s cheque made payable to “Meadowlands Racetrack.” Personal cheques and credit cards will not be accepted.

For more information, go to playmeadowlands.com.

(With files from The Meadowlands)