With winter’s frigid grip starting to weaken on the Tri-State Area as the calendar marches its way toward spring, betting at The Meadowlands has picked up in a big way over the last two weeks, culminating last Saturday (Feb. 26) when the $3 million barrier was busted for the first time in 2022.

“Full fields, low takeouts, big pools and exciting finishes, the whole night was a success in every way and watching our 'prime-time' races (six through nine) average over $300,000 per race during the winter meet was extremely encouraging for our sport," said Jason Settlemoir, chief operating officer and general manager at The Meadowlands. "We continue to thank our fans worldwide for their loyal support of New Jersey racing on our mile track here at The Meadowlands.”

The Big M faithful responded in a big way to its favourite wagers Saturday, the “Big 3” of the 20-cent Pick-5 and two 50-cent Pick-4s.

A total of $309,688 was put in play on the first race, $73,504 of that in the 20-cent Pick-5. Over the first five races, the handle was $1,178,159.

Then, in race six, a 2022-best $104,703 was wagered in the 50-cent Early Pick-4, which served as the catalyst for the high single-race handle of the night at $352,929. Total action for those four races, aka 'Prime Time,' was $1,244,720, good for a per race average of $311,180.

The 50-cent Late Pick-4, which kicked off in the 10th race, had a pool of $86,869, and paved the way for total action on that race of $296,000, as $890,636 was pushed through the windows on the final four dashes of the night.

The two Pick-4s accounted for more than $190,000 in total play, while the grand total of the three races (when you add in the Pick-5’s race) was $958,617, an average of just under $320,000 per dash.

All-source handle for the Saturday night card was $3,310,483, an average per race of $254,652.

The Saturday prior (Feb. 19), total wagering was $2.7 million to cap the biggest weekend of total play thus far this year at almost $5.67 million. Last weekend, that total would undoubtedly have been surpassed, but Friday’s races were cancelled due to inclement weather.

Racing at The Big M is conducted on a Friday-Saturday basis and has a first-race post time of 6:20 p.m. On the Friday (March 4) night pre-game show, driver Todd McCarthy will be Dave Little’s guest on “In the Sulky,” which will get underway at approximately 5:50 p.m.

Next weekend, be aware not to step on my blue suede shoes. On Saturday, March 12, Ralph Carey will be in Pink Restaurant doing his tribute show to the King, Elvis Presley. The buffet, which is priced at $64.95, begins at 5:30 p.m. with Carey performing from 8-10:15 p.m.

The same night, handicappers will go at it in another qualifier for the World Harness Handicapping Championship. There will be $5,000 in prize money (based on 50 entries) up for grabs plus two seats to the WHHC Final on September 10 at The Meadowlands. All this for an entry fee of just $200.

When the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament begins on March 17, hoops fans can come to the FanDuel Sportsbook and watch and wager on the games. The championship game will take place on April 4. Bettors can catch all the games at “The Book,” which is located inside the grandstand at The Meadowlands. There are massive HDTVs, dining options with table service and plenty of self-service – and, of course, full service – wagering machines ready to take your action.

(With files from The Meadowlands)