Four fabulous performances last Saturday, Nov. 4 kicked off a month-long frenzy of stakes action that takes place at The Meadowlands during November.
The Crawford Farms Kindergarten Series finals for two-year-olds featured competition for horses of each sex and gait, and the most exciting finish came in the pace for colts and geldings when 2-1 second choice Lou Vuitton (Sweet Lou-Shark Lightning) survived a three-horse photo by a head after a pulse-pounding 1:51.1 finish for driver Dave Miller – who guided the winners of two of the finals on the night – and trainer Ron Burke.
The filly pace went to Caviart Belle (Captaintreacherous-Eloquent Grace), who paced a gigantic final quarter of :26.3 from well off the pace to score in a lifetime-best 1:49.4 for Yannick Gingras and Nancy Takter as the 6-5 public choice.
On the trotting side, Sambuca Hanover (Bar Hopping-Snow Angel Hanover) pulled off an 8-1 surprise for Miller and Nifty Norman in the dash for fillies from just off the pace in a lifetime-best 1:54.2.
Breeders Crown champion Karl was the evening’s star attraction, and the son of Tactical Landing-Avalicious delivered in the division for colts and geldings in a thoroughly dominant mile from post 10, winning by 3-1-/4 lengths in 1:53.2 as the 1-9 public choice as Gingras and Takter ended the night with a tag-team Kindergarten double.
The stakes carousel stays in motion this Saturday, Nov. 11 when $250,000 in purses are up for grabs in the New Jersey Garden State and New Jersey Home Grown, which are events for two-year-olds of each sex and gait.
The Garden State and Home Grown are part of what will be another big weekend at the mile oval. Betting last week (Nov. 3-4) totalled over $5.5 million, including $3.075 million on Saturday, the 51st occasion this year from 73 race cards where betting busted the $3-million barrier.
“The Meadowlands offers horseplayers around the world a very unique wagering menu,” said Jason Settlemoir, Meadowlands' Chief Operating Officer and General Manager. “We have come a long way from offering one Pick-4 a night. This makes it possible for players to take a variety of paths in their quest to make a score. Big fields and low takeouts are an essential part of making the playing field for our horseplayers as attractive as possible.”
The Meadowlands provides eight opportunities for the player to make a score trying their luck betting in pools with a low 15 per cent takeout. The lineup of The Big M’s “Great Eight” is as follows (all wagers – with the exception of the Pick-7 – are carryover eligible):
- Race 1: 20-cent Pick-5
- Race 2: 20-cent Survivor Pick-7
- Race 4: 20-cent Pick-8
- Race 6: 50-cent Pick-4 ($50,000 guarantee)
- Race 7: 20-cent High-5
- Race 8: 20-cent Pick-6
- Race 10: 50-cent Pick-4 ($50,000 guarantee)
- Race 11: 20-cent High-5
Players at The Meadowlands know they can take advantage of wagers with small minimum-base investments in an effort to make a score.
Last Friday, some big returns came in the Early 50-cent Pick-4 ($3,545) and the eighth race $1 Trifecta ($4,207) and 10-cent Superfecta ($1,974).
Saturday’s huge hits were in the fifth-race $1 Trifecta ($9,786), 20-cent Pick-5 ($8,909), 20-cent Survivor Pick-7 ($6,715) and 20-cent Pick-8 ($3,975). The Pick-8 featured a double carryover.
This week at The Big M, you’ll have some double vision, as they’ll be two Ottens on set for the price of one.
Jenna Otten, 23, will join big sister Jessica, 26, on set Friday for the pre-game show and all of the usual on-camera handicapping spots during the course of the 14-race card before heading to the back paddock on Saturday to conduct horsemen interviews.
Jenna just finished her first year as co-host on the Scioto Downs TV in-house broadcast and also got some national exposure with Jessica on Fox Sports during Ohio Sire Stakes Super Night.
“I’m nervous and excited about the chance to work at The Meadowlands,” said Jenna, “and very grateful for the opportunity.”
Free past performances for every race of every Meadowlands card are available by going to playmeadowlands.com.
The Meadowlands will race every Friday and Saturday through the end of the year, with two exceptions. There will be no live racing on Friday, Nov. 24, while there will be live action on Thursday, Dec. 7. Post time for every program is 6:20 p.m.
(With files from Meadowlands)