Effective this Friday (March 3), The Meadowlands will celebrate its own March Mania after an extremely memorable February with the addition of a second 10-cent Hi-5 to one of the most popular wagering menus in racing.

The mile oval will have 14-race programs this Friday and Saturday that have a first-race post time of 6:20 p.m.

“Given the fact that we were only offering one Hi-5, or Pentafecta, if you prefer, per night, adding a second simply made a lot of sense, since a chunk of our players don’t wait around for the last race,” said Jason Settlemoir, Meadowlands Chief Operating Officer and General Manager. “Now, they can get into a Hi-5 pool in both the seventh race as well as the last race of the night.”

Last weekend (Feb. 24-25), more than $65,000 was pushed through the windows on the Hi-5, and despite favourites winning both races, the payouts were $702.67 and $525.81 on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

The “Prime Time Hi-5” will be the seventh wager The Meadowlands offers nightly that has a low takeout of 15 per cent. Each Hi-5 has a low 10-cent minimum wager.

The Big M offers the traditional non-jackpot Hi-5 wager in order to keep the actual takeout at a low 15 per cent for the benefit of the horseplayer.

The following are the seven wagers The Big M offers nightly to the bettor that have both a low minimum wager as well as a low 15 per cent takeout. In addition, the two Pick-4s offer a guaranteed pool of $50,000.

• Race 1: 20-cent Pick-5
• Race 3: 20-cent Survivor Pick-7
• Race 6: Early 50-cent Pick-4 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
• Race 7: Early 10-cent Hi-5
• Race 8: 20-cent Pick-6
• Race 10: Late 50-cent Pick-4 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
• Race 14: Late 10-cent Hi-5

Incredible turnaround for Meadowlands wagering

The uptick in business when comparing Meadowlands handle during February of 2022 to this year is astounding.

A year ago, there was only one card during the second month of the calendar year that saw wagering top the $3-million mark. This year, all seven February programs (there was one cancellation) saw betting clear the $3-million hurdle, which includes the $3.8 million put in play on Feb. 18, a 2023 track best.

In fact, thus far this year, there have been 15 programs contested on Friday and Saturday nights, and each one has seen wagering go past the $3-million mark.

Average nightly handle during February of 2022 was $2.77 million, while this year, that number was $3.38 million, an increase of more than $600,000 per night.

“The loyal support of Gov. [Phil] Murphy, the New Jersey State Legislature, our horsemen and horseplayers around the world has resulted in The Meadowlands being the No. 1 nighttime product in all of racing,” said Settlemoir. “An international audience tunes in every weekend to see a mile track with non-stop action, full fields, large pools, low takeouts and chances galore to make a score.

“Much of our success can be attributed to our competitive racing. The percentage of winning favourites at The Big M is 35, which stacks up well against the top three Thoroughbred tracks. Gulfstream, whose favourites win 35 per cent of the time, and Santa Anita and Aqueduct, which are both at 33. The Meadowlands offers horseplayers a solid chance to bet a little and win a lot.”

Some of last weekend’s payouts back those words up. On Friday, the Pick-5 returned $2,615 while the Pick-6 paid $8,010. Saturday’s big hits came in the Survivor Pick-7 ($8,767), 11th race Superfecta ($11,491), 11th race Trifecta ($19,721) and Late Pick-4 ($11,876).

Pick 6 carryover this Saturday

There were no winning tickets sold in the 20-cent Pick-6 last Saturday night, creating a carryover of $7,627 when the bet is next offered on Friday night’s eighth race.

Since the carryover is not subject to the low 15 per cent takeout, in the event there is $50,000 in “new money” wagered, players will be betting into a negative pool, where those who cash winning tickets will walk away with more than what was wagered.

For those who want to get a head start on their handicapping, they can get free past performances not only for the Pick-6, but for every race of every Meadowlands card by going to playmeadowlands.com.

International Women’s Day celebrations this weekend at Big M

In observance of International Women’s Day (which is March 8), The Meadowlands will have some special guests and special events this weekend.

On Friday, Ashley Mailloux, an expert handicapper and interviewer who knows both Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing, will be Dave Little’s guest on the pre-game show. Mailloux, who last appeared at The Big M in 2020, will talk about what she’s been doing since her last appearance at the mile oval.

Mailloux will give out a Pick-6 ticket after the seventh race replay from the back paddock, where she will be conducting interviews during the card.

Saturday night, there are 20 female drivers – who will be split into two divisions – competing in the second and fourth races on the card, while Mailloux and the track’s Jessica Otten will be downstairs on-set all night long, beginning with the pre-game show at 5:45 p.m. and continuing throughout the evening with race-by-race analysis and Pick-4 tickets.

For more on Meadowlands' March events, click here.

(With files from Meadowlands)