Given the fact that The Meadowlands has been carding 13 races a night for a majority of the last year or so, it’s a pretty good bet that what will transpire this weekend (Jan. 6-7) has never happened before as the mile oval will present 14 races this Friday and Saturday (post time 6:20 p.m.), and each of those 28 dashes will feature full 10-horse fields if there are no scratches.

“We’re excited that The Meadowlands will kick off the 2023 season with big fields and a [20-cent] Pick-6 carryover,” said track Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “Our bettors crave full fields and competitive racing, and that’s what we bring to the table.”

Many bettors get fired up when favourites fail at The Big M and lately they have slumped to the tune of just a 28 per cent success rate over the track’s last 29 races (eight winners).

If you like deep pools then the place to take a swim is The Meadowlands. Last Friday’s (Dec. 30) 20-cent Pick-5 pool totalled $73,494 and, after zero favourites scored during the sequence, four shrewd players walked away with $15,617.

The Friday 50-cent Pick-4 wagers brought something for both chalk players and anti-chalkies as well, as both pools ended up at approximately $78,000, with those cashing in for $124 on the Early Pick 4, before a handsome $2,145 on the Late Pick 4.

Wagering on Friday totalled $2,845,816, which is merely just another day at The Big M. For the calendar year 2022, there were 85 programs contested, on which a total of $233,874,687 was pushed through the windows, for an average nightly handle of $2,751,466, by far tops in the industry.

A dense, relentless fog provided a New Year’s Eve bummer when management cancelled racing after the first dash on Saturday, Dec. 31 due to safety concerns for the drivers and horses, but that means the 20-cent Pick-6 carryover that was slated to be dispersed that night will now be offered this Friday. The carryover is $4,834 and the Pick 6 is offered on races eight through 13.

While the carryover may not look overly impressive, it can go a long way toward peaking player interest. In the event $30,000 in “new money” is bet into the Pick 6, you would deduct $4,500 for the usual low 15 per cent takeout. Since the carryover is not subject to the tariff, the total pool would be $30,334, creating what the track calls a “negative takeout,” where those with winning tickets will take away more than what was put in the pot.

As always, free past performances for every race of every Meadowlands card are available by going to playmeadowlands.com.

This weekend marks the first of 31 in a row where there will be live racing at The Meadowlands.

Effective immediately, live action is scheduled to be conducted every Friday and Saturday night – post time 6:20 p.m. – through Hambletonian Day, Saturday, Aug. 5. In addition, there are a pair of Sundays on the calendar – Jan. 22 and 29 – that have a post time of 12:30 p.m. Post time on Hambo Day is noon.

(With files from Meadowlands)