One week after setting new Fall Meet handle marks for a single card and a weekend, The Meadowlands is in position to better both bests again as the upcoming pair of race cards (Nov. 20-21) feature plenty of competitive racing, with Saturday night’s Fall Final Four/TVG Finals Night standing dead centre in the spotlight.
The stakes-race eight pack – the third biggest “event” program of the Big M calendar year after Hambletonian Day and Meadowlands Pace Night – has purses that total $2,495,950, and figures to create a big night at the windows.
Last week (Nov. 13-14) saw Fall Meet highs of $5,299,941 bet over the course of the two race cards with a single-night best of $2,823,647 wagered on Saturday. In the end, the track had its first $5 million weekend since Sept. 18-19.
The 20-cent Pick-6 continues to be a wager that creates big interest and big pools. A two-day carryover of just $28,142 led to a total pool of $104,695 on Saturday night, and those sharp enough to have all six winners walked away with $5,642.
“All of us at The Meadowlands are pleased with the way things have gone with the Pick-6,” said chief operating officer and general manager Jason Settlemoir. “There is an awful lot of excitement when there are carryovers in the wager, and a lot of value for the player. For instance, last week, only the $76,553 in 'new money' was subject to the low 15 per cent takeout. All of the $28,142 carryover was subject to no takeout at all.”
Other eyebrow-raising Saturday night payoffs included the 20-cent Pick-5 ($1,599), 20-cent Survivor Pick-7 ($2,527 for six-of-seven) and the 10-cent Pentafecta ($1,166).
Friday night was for 50-cent Pick-4 players, as over $140,000 in action was taken on the wagers. The Early Pick-4 returned $4,186 while the Late Pick-4 paid $2,362.
As for hot horsemen, Dexter Dunn (five winners) led the drivers' colony while Kelvin Harrison (three) topped the trainers' list.
FREE PPs: For free past performances of Meadowlands races, courtesy of the United States Trotting Association and TrackMaster, go to playmeadowlands.com.
Races one through five will be available for Friday’s program while Saturday’s entire Fall Final Four/TVG Finals card will be offered.
TWEET THE TEAM: Stay in touch on Twitter with the Big M’s Dave Brower (@eedoogie), Dave Little (@DaveLittleBigM), Ken Warkentin (@kenvoiceover), Andrew Demsky (@shadesonracing) and Jessica Otten (@JessicaOtten1). Check in everyday for Meadowlands news and updates at those handles, as well as @TheMeadowlands and #playbigm.
CHECK OUT THE PICKS: For those who need to get a leg up on the action, go to playmeadowlands.com to see track oddsmaker and analyst Brower’s selections and commentary. Click on this link to check out Friday’s card.
Additionally, track announcer Warkentin’s blog is available on the site and offers his picks and analysis.
On race nights, access picks and plays from the Big M TV team at #playbigm or at @TheMeadowlands.
CHECK OUT THE SHOW: As always look for the “Racing from The Meadowlands” live in-house simulcast show every Friday and Saturday night. The pre-game show begins at 6:42 p.m. First race is at 7:15 p.m.
It’ll be the “Dave & Dave” show on both Friday and Saturday as Brower and Little will be the on-camera presence all weekend long, with additional coverage in the form of winner’s circle interviews and retirement ceremonies for some of the game’s biggest equine stars on Saturday night.
If you can’t make it out to the track, you can watch and wager on all the action at home. Go to rtn.tv or your favourite ADW platform to catch every race live.
GET YOUR FOOTBALL FIX: The National Football League season rolls on with games this Thursday, Sunday and Monday, and you can wager on all of the action in the Big M’s FanDuel Sportsbook.
Thursday’s (Nov. 19) NFL matchup has the Kyler Murray-led Arizona Cardinals, fresh off a “Hail Mary” win over the Buffalo Bills, traveling to Seattle to take on Russell Wilson and the Seahawks. Seattle is a 3-point favourite (-114). For those who prefer money lines, the Seahawks are -164 to win the game, regardless of by how much.
One can wager on a full slate of Saturday college football games as well. There are also other sports available to bet on in the book from 10 a.m. – midnight Sunday through Friday and from 10 a.m. – 2 a.m. on Saturday.
(Meadowlands)