Business remained strong for the third week of racing at The Meadowlands. All sources handle on the live product was up 25 per cent over last year's dates despite the competition from Yonkers on Friday and Saturday.

Most of the increase is coming from remote locations, which benefits simulcast partners more than it does The Meadowlands' bottom line. The good news is that those increases contribute to the overall health of the industry and boost pool size on the M1 races appreciably.

Another growing revenue stream is the import simulcast business (those wagers taken by The Meadowlands on other tracks) which is up 10 per cent vs 2012.

Darin Zoccali, The Meadowlands' director of Racing Operations spoke of the first few weeks, stating, "We continue to be excited about how the betting public across the country has received our product. Last year, the winter season was practically an extension of fall and we have already seen two snowy nights this year, yet our overall numbers still show a substantial increase.

"Jeff Gural has always been a staunch advocate of bringing people to the track to be a part of the live product, which at The Meadowlands is the best in the business. Moving toward opening our new facility, bringing people to the track will remain our number one priority. We are very excited for the prospects of this upcoming weekend as the betting cards are simply tremendous."

The winter late-closing series opened this past week with the Super Bowl, Clyde Hirt and Presidential. There are several interesting match-ups on the horizon in these as they race toward the January 26 finals.

The Captaintreacherous promotion has started to capture the imagination of the local racing fans. One prospective 'partner' reportedly visited the Gaitway Farm stable of trainer Tony Alagna to see his 'new horse.'

Alagna described the encounter, stating that he "Came off the track and noticed a gentleman standing by Captaintreacherous' stall. When I introduced myself, he excitedly produced the form used in the drawing and said "I entered that contest at The Meadowlands and I might own part of this horse!"

"He asked about a picture, so the groom shined the 'Captain' up and brought him out and they took a few shots together. The visitor spoke highly of the improvements at The 'M' and when he left my barn went over to Mark Harder's stable to see Golden Receiver.

"It just reinforces how important it is to embrace the fans. This guy looked to be in his early forties and he's going to go home and tell his friends how he enjoyed the whole experience. We need more of that."

Racing resumes Thursday and continues through Saturday night at 7:15 p.m. Entry in the Captaintreacherous drawing is offered with paid admission every Saturday night through May 4. Visit meadowlandsracetrack.com for more info on the races and promotions.

(Meadowlands)