The National Football League playoffs, a championship UFC fight with a big-name meet and greet, an incredible five-course fine Asian meal, and, oh yeah, world-class harness racing, can all be found this Saturday, Jan. 20 at the mile track with a host of things to do, The Meadowlands.

“Our goal is to make The Meadowlands a destination for people who want a great night out,” said Jason Settlemoir, the track's Chief Operating Officer and General Manager. “So, when we offer as many choices as we are this Saturday, it creates a handful of possibilities for patrons who want to have a night out who might not necessarily be fans of harness racing.”

Action at FanDuel

The Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs are certain to create a lot of excitement – and a lot of wagers – in the FanDuel Sportsbook, which is located in the grandstand at The Meadowlands.

On Saturday, there is a double header that features the top two favourites to win professional football’s championship game. At 4:30 p.m., the Baltimore Ravens host the Houston Texans. The 49ers will take on the Green Bay Packers in an 8:15 p.m. kickoff in San Francisco.

On Sunday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel to Detroit for a 3 p.m. game with the Lions before the Buffalo Billswelcome the Kansas City Chiefs to the Queen City for a game that gets underway at 6:30 p.m.

Two great promotions continue through Feb. 11 for FanDuel customers wagering at The Meadowlands:

• NFL Playoff B&G: Bet $250 Parlay Get $50 – Place a parlay wager of five or more legs (inclusive of Same Game Parlay or Same Game Parlay+ wagers) of at least $250 and receive a $50 voucher for use on a parlay wager (inclusive of Same Game Parlay or Same Game Parlay+ wagers) at the eligible retail location (up to a maximum of $200), regardless of if their eligible wager wins or loses.
• Football Parlay Insurance: Play a parlay wager at The Meadowlands of at least five legs (maximum 25 legs provided that all legs have a minimum of -220 odds and consist of only NFL markets offered by Sponsor) and receive a bonus of up to $2,500.

Onsite customers can also enjoy the $12 wing bar food special in the Gallery. Diners can grab some wings with various sauces and fries while watching all the football action.    

The FanDuel Sportsbook is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. to 1 a.m.; and Sunday 8 a.m. to midnight. For cash-at-counter customers, the hours are Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. The Lounge opens at noon on Sundays.

A night at the fights

UFC 297 takes place on Saturday in Toronto and promises great action. Fans can catch the fights at The Big M. In addition, there’s a special meet-and-greet guest.

There are a pair of fights that sit atop the marquee. The co-feature is the women’s bantamweight championship where Raquel Pennington takes on Mayra Bueno Silva. The featured event is for the middleweight title in which champion Sean Strickland takes on Dricus Du Plessis.

Those in attendance can meet and greet Bones Jones, a former two-time UFC light heavyweight champ, who is one of the greatest mixed martial artists ever, from 7 p.m. to  8:30 p.m.

The main card will begin at 10 p.m. The watch party at The Big M takes place in the second-floor gallery.

Eat from the East, learn from the West

Also, on Saturday, guests can enjoy a tour of flavours found across all of Asia in a five-course dinner that features a cocktail paired with each course.

Plus, guests can enjoy a “Sports Betting 101” tutorial with Emily West. West is the midday host on The New 102.7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. She will talk about football, wagering basics and give out some tips for the night’s live harness racing.

The cost of $69.95 per person includes a live racing program as well as a $10 betting voucher. This offer is for those who are 21 years of age or older.

Big fields, big payouts 

Once again, the overflowing entry box at The Meadowlands will lead to many big fields this weekend.

On Friday, the 14-race program will feature one dozen 10-horse fields, while on Saturday, 11 of the 14 dashes will have 10 noses on the gate. There are 272 horses scheduled to start during the weekend, good for an average field size of 9.71 per race.

Big fields lead to less predictable outcomes at The Big M, which sets the stage for some handsome payouts.

Some of the better returns last Friday, Jan. 12 came in the ninth race $2 Trifecta ($4,605), ninth race 10-cent Superfecta ($1,201) and 20-cent Pick-8 ($3,803.46).

The Saturday, Jan. 13 highlight-reel returns came in the seventh race 20-cent Pentafecta ($6,107.42), 20-cent Survivor Pick-7 ($8,285.22),13th race $2 Trifecta ($1,970.80), 20-cent Pick-6 ($6,221.50), 14th race $2 Trifecta ($3,269.80) and 14th race $2 Late Daily Double ($891.40).

Free past performances for every race of every Meadowlands card are available by going to playmeadowlands.com. Racing will be conducted every Friday and Saturday throughout January with a first-race post time of 6:20 p.m. Big M TV’s live Racing from The Meadowlands pre-game show begins at 5:45 p.m.

On Saturday, Little will interview driver Tyler Miller on the pre-game show “In the Sulky” segment, which takes place shortly after the broadcast begins.

(With files from The Meadowlands)