There are many answers to the question that’s asked several times every Friday night at The Meadowlands: GSY?
The Gural Settlemoir Yarock Amateur Driving Club has been a Friday night staple of late at The Big M. Having the GSY races on the card – there are three this week and have been three for the last several weeks – provides a different look for racing fans. The GSY participants bring an energy that is not seen on a day-in, day-out basis by the regular driving colony.
“All of the GSY contestants think every Friday at The Meadowlands is their Grand Circuit,” said Jason Settlemoir, Meadowlands’ Chief Operating Officer and General Manager. “The GSY races have been averaging better than $231,000 [in handle] per race thus far in March. The racing is hotly contested – usually with a 10-horse field – and the results are anything but chalky.
“When you see the connections celebrating in the winner’s circle like they had just won a Grand Circuit event, you understand how much everyone wants to win these races. Full fields and great payouts are a big reason why the GSY events are so well-supported by the wagering public.”
So why is interest in the GSY so high?
The answer is the same as other questions when it comes to racing at The Meadowlands: Big pools and big fields.
It may come as a surprise to some racing fans when they find out how well GSY races are received, with handle that exceeds many races at any harness venue anywhere.
Bettors want big pools and big fields, and the GSY delivers. On Friday, March 4, the three GSY races – all of which saw 10 behind the starting gate – took in a total of $651,641, an average per race of just over $217,000. Despite two winning favourites, those cashing in had big smiles on their faces when they collected $406.40, $137.40 and $724.20 for winning Trifecta tickets.
One week later, on March 11, it was more of the same, as three 10-horse fields saw $737,604 put in play, good for an average of more than $245,000 per dash. The winning Trifectas – which saw just one lukewarm winning chalk – came back $1,084.40, $5,921.20 and $432.40.
For some perspective, when the average per race is $245,000 for a 13-race card, total handle is $3.1 million.
For the six March GSY races, the average Exacta payout is $151.40, while the Trifecta is at $829.20.
Does the GSY give back to the harness racing community?
“Our charitable pursuit started out as a scholarship fund for people in the harness industry,” said David Yarock, GSY President. “But over the last two years – because of COVID-19 – I’ve turned the charity over to equine outreach. We have a farm in the Catskill Mountains near Monticello Raceway where we have horses that we’ve rescued. People who could benefit from being around these horses, such as veterans with PTSD, can benefit from that type of interaction, and we are happy to provide a place for both the horses and the people who would like to be with them.”
For anybody interested, they can get more information by going to equineoutreachfund.org.
Immediately after the GSY races are over, of course!
PICK-6 CARRYOVER: There were no winning tickets sold in the 20-cent Pick-6 Saturday (March 12) night, creating a carryover of $10,303 when racing resumes Friday. The Pick-6 begins with race eight on the card. The last Pick-6 carryover was on March 5, when a modest $7,215 led to a total pool of over $58,000.
POWERFUL PICK-5 POOL: Starting out with a carryover of $43,342 helped the 20-cent Pick-5 blossom into a giant total pool of $312,283 on Saturday (March 12), but after the second choice took the first race, four favourites followed, meaning that many race fans cashed in for the payoff of $44.32.
POWERHOUSE PICK-4s: The Big M’s most popular wager in terms of average per pool, the 50-cent Pick-4, has been on a roll of late. On the first Saturday of March (the 5th), a total of over $220,000 was bet on the wager (there are two Pick-4s offered nightly) that requires a player to have the winners of four consecutive races on their tickets. For the month, the average Pick-4 pool has been over $100,000.
WHAT’S YOUR HANDLE? Betting fell just short of reaching the $3-million mark for a fourth time in five cards Saturday (March 12) night when $2,954,026 was put in play on the 13 races on a nasty night weather-wise, but wagering did exceed $6 million for a second consecutive weekend.
LIVE RACING SCHEDULE: Racing at The Big M is conducted on a Friday-Saturday basis and has a first-race post time of 6:20 p.m. The track’s live “Racing from The Meadowlands” pregame show kicks off nightly at 5:47 p.m.
CHECK YOUR TEMPERATURE: Everybody at The Meadowlands has Spring Fever! On Saturday (March 19), patrons can enter a contest to win a $50 gas gift card, a $500 airline voucher, or the biggest prize of all, a trip to Hawaii. On-track customers can complete the entry form and deposit it into the drawing bin before the ninth race, and they must be present to win. Drawings will be conducted after races two, four, six, eight and 10.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)