Some great wagering opportunities await handicappers at Yonkers Raceway this week.

The Monday night card features a record $16,174 carryover in the 50-cent Pick 5 wager.

The previous record carryover at Yonkers in the Pick 5 was $13,097 on October 15 which produced a record pool of $37,306. The payout that evening was $1,648 for a 50-cent ticket despite the fact that four of the five winners in the sequence were 5-2 odds or less.

In the five months since the Pick 5 debuted at Yonkers, the average 50-cent payout has been $1,659. Through 112 programs, only four times has the wager returned less than $100 for a 50-cent wager, but 44 times it has paid more than $1,000. There have been 18 carryovers through those 112 cards. The record high payout is $12,063 for a single winning ticket on August 24.

The Pick 5 covers races 5 through 9 every racing night and comes with a $10,000 guaranteed pool on Mondays and Tuesdays. That guarantee has been raised to $25,000 for Monday with the carryover.

The free money continues on Tuesday evening with the start of the $10,000 Yonkers Empire City Bets Free Harness Contest.

The online contest is free to enter and will have five preliminary rounds every Tuesday through the last Tuesday of racing at Yonkers, December 17. The top ten finishers each Tuesday advance to the final round which will be held on closing night, Saturday December 21. The top finisher in each preliminary round wins $500 and prizes are available to the top five finishers each week. The grand prize is $2,500 for the final round winner.

(With files from the SOA of New York)