Much like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates, lately at The Meadowlands, you never know what you’re going to get.

Longshots were the rule two weeks ago after six horses paid $50 or more over a 28-race span, and while racing last Friday, Jan. 31 did have three horses win at odds of 12-1 or more, what it didn’t have was a single winning favourite on the 14-race program.

At least one favourite did win on every completed card during 2022, 2023 and 2024.

This happened 13 days after the first triple dead heat for win in Meadowlands history.

“We’ve seen our share of out of the ordinary things of late,” said Jason Settlemoir, Big M Chief Operating Officer and General Manager. “And our fans have been enjoying every minute of it. While our track is known for favourites not winning as often as most – if not all – harness tracks, for us to go an entire night without one is almost unimaginable.”

When there are few, or, in this case, no winning favourites, there are either big payoffs or carryovers on the track’s popular multi-leg wagers, and that’s exactly how things played out Friday.

After a 20-cent Pick-5 payoff of $4,092.68, the Early and Late 50-cent Pick-4s returned $551.75 and $989.55, respectively.

The 20-cent Pick-6 was almost hit, as heading into the payoff leg (race 13), there were two tickets alive, both with 6-5 favourite Miss Dottie Mae. But she went parked the opening half, which took enough out of her to be gunned down by 5-1 fourth choice Take Your Pick at the finish.

Winners' odds for the sequence were 7-2, 12-1, 2-1, 9-1, 2-1 and 5-1, creating a carryover of $21,413.55. Those with five correct selections cashed in for $188.92.

The carryover led to bettors pouring $107,130 of “new money” into the pool Saturday, Feb. 1 for a grand total of $128,543. Winners' odds for that sequence were a popular 9-2, 1-9, 7-5, 3-1, 4-5 and 6-5. The payoff was reduced to $126.96 after four horses ending up scratching out of the payoff leg.

Just one week earlier, a carryover of $28,744 led to a gigantic final pool of $212,687 in the Pick-5.

Chalk players got a little money back on Saturday when five public choices clicked, but eight of the other nine races were won at odds of no less than 2-1 and no more than 9-2, a very good zone for players. There was one longshot, Dance Partner in the fifth, who returned $70.60 to win.

The Meadowlands offers free program pages for every race card on its website at playmeadowlands.com.

During the month of February, live racing will be conducted every Friday and Saturday with a first-race post time of 6:20 p.m. The live “Racing from The Meadowlands” pre-game show starts at 5:45 p.m. This Saturday night, catch Otten and her guest, Brett Beckwith, the 2024 Dan Patch Rising Star of the Year, on the next installment of “In the Sulky.” It takes place at approximately 5:50 p.m.

Fans will be able to watch UFC 312 in The Gallery at The Meadowlands, and there is another great matchup taking place this Saturday, when Sean Strickland takes on Dricus du Plessis in a middleweight championship rematch. There are plenty of TVs, a variety of seating and a full-service bar available for patrons who want to check out the fights, which can be wagered on in the sportsbook before heading up to watch the fisticuffs. The main card gets underway at 10 p.m.

You don’t need to be a football fan to be fired up for this Sunday as it seems just about everybody watches the championship game of professional football. Fans can watch and wager on the game in the FanDuel Sportsbook, which is located inside the grandstand at The Meadowlands. The venue features numerous large HD TVs throughout the building, as well as both self-service and teller-operated wagering machines. The FanDuel Sportsbook has first-come, first-served seating in Victory and the Simulcast Lounge. There is also a great “Big Game” dining option: Enjoy a live Q&A – plus watch the game – with PIX11/WFAN host Marc Malusis and former New York Jets linebacker and current ESPN Radio host Bart Scott. Seating starts at 5:30 p.m. and the game kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased on the Meadowlands website.

(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)