Long shot players had their way over the course of the 26-race weekend that took place at The Meadowlands Nov. 27-28.
Big payoffs came one after the other, beginning Friday night (Nov. 27), when the biggest scores came in the track’s two 50-cent Pick-4 bets. The wager that spans races six through nine came back $5,960 after $83,617 was poured into the pool. The Late Pick-4 – races 10 through 13 – saw $64,548 in wagers taken and a payoff of $5,486.
Driver Scott Zeron played a big part in the bloated payouts, scoring with 82-1 shot Stellenbosch – who topped a $14,340 trifecta – in the eighth race and 12-1 shot Enduring Hope in the 11th.
Saturday’s (Nov. 28) card started with big expectations – and ended with a handful of bettors hitting big.
A 20-cent Pick-6 carryover led to a total pool of over $32,000. Favourites did score in the final two legs of the wager, but it mattered little, as only two players cashed in large, walking away with $14,143.
The 20-cent Survivor Pick-7 was the first of two wagers that saw only one winner walk with plenty of Christmas green. It only took five correct selections out of seven for one sharpie to hit for $7,930, while the 20-cent Pick-5 was the biggest gift of all, as one player hit for $55,157.
Quagmire Bluechip, 75-1, was the key to the Pick-7 and Pick-5 by scoring in the fourth race.
The weekend saw only six winning favourites – a meagre 23 per cent – but that did not stop the mile-oval faithful from betting a total of $5,155,861.
“The Meadowlands gave the horseplayers an exciting weekend of competitive racing and the biggest pools in the sport,” said track chief operating officer and general manager Jason Settlemoir. “This resulted in the kind of payoffs you can only see at The Meadowlands when we have big fields, which has been a regular occurrence thanks to Governor Murphy and the members of the New Jersey legislature going to bat for the racing industry time and again.
“The average two-dollar win price for the weekend was $20.71, which allowed the players to shoot for the moon with their wagering. The overwhelmingly positive response from horseplayers around the world to our races and wagering menu not only shines a positive spotlight on The Meadowlands, but the great state of New Jersey as well.”
EITHER WAY, BIG PLAY: The Big M is known for its big payouts, but the weekend before (Nov. 20-21), 13 favourites clicked (50 per cent) and betting was robust nonetheless, with a total of $5,079,059 in action. Wagering has now exceeded the $5-million plateau for three straight weekends.
THREE OF A KIND: Andy Miller, Dave Miller and Dexter Dunn did the most damage among the drivers last weekend, with each winning four times.
Andrew Harris led the trainers with three winner’s circle visits.
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 – the entire 20-cent Pick-5 – will be available for both the Friday and Saturday cards.
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.
In addition, for everything Meadowlands online, go to playmeadowlands.com.
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 the “handicapping” tab and go to “race reviews”.
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.
This Friday, Otten will join Brower on set before the usual “Dave & Dave” show takes place on Saturday as Brower and Little will be the on-camera presences.
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.
The Television Games Network (tvg.com) shows all Meadowlands action live and offers opportunities for those who want to bet on Big M races.
GET YOUR FOOTBALL FIX: The National Football League season rolls on with games this Sunday and Monday, and you can wager on all the action in the Big M’s FanDuel Sportsbook.
Sunday (Dec. 6) afternoon at 1 p.m., the New York Jets – still searching for their first win of the season – will host the Last Vegas Raiders (-8) at MetLife Stadium. In the 4 p.m. window, the first-place New York Giants travel to Seattle to take on Russell Wilson and the Seahawks (-10).
One can wager on a full slate of 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)