As live racing enters its fourth weekend of the new year, the Meadowlands Racetrack has announced that it has experienced impressive gains in live handle over the comparable weekends in 2015.
Average nightly handle through the first five programs of 2016 is $3,094,154 – a gain of more than 13 per cent over the corresponding cards in 2015. While the Meadowlands has been carding 14-race programs this year compared to 13-race cards last season, the average handle per race is also up nearly four per cent.
“We are obviously very pleased with the strong start to 2016 so far in terms of handle,” said Jason M. Settlemoir, Meadowlands CEO and general manager. “Our team has worked very hard to maximize field size, create competitive and attractive betting races, and coordinate post times with other tracks. We are always trying to improve the wagering experience for our customers both on and off track. We have continued with our out-of-competition testing program and sending samples to Hong Kong’s world-renowned testing lab to ensure a level playing field.”
While short-priced winning favourites can create an unappealing wagering proposition, the Meadowlands has bucked that trend so far in 2016 with the wagering favourite winning at just 32 per cent, below the national average. In addition, the average win price during last weekend was $15.81.
When it comes to multi-race wagers, the Meadowlands offers the industry’s largest guaranteed wagers. But more important for horseplayers is the average pool size. So far in 2016, the track’s early Pick Four has averaged $54,044 while the late Pick Four tops $66,000. The Pick Five’s average pool size is close to $40,000. All three wagers offer a 50-cent minimum wager with a takeout rate of just 15 per cent.
Live racing takes place Friday and Saturday nights this weekend with 14-race programs beginning at 6:35 p.m.
(Meadowlands Racetrack)