The Meadowlands Racetrack is known for good business and good racing in the wintertime, but even the track’s biggest supporters – whether management or fan – might have been a tad surprised at how things transpired at the mile oval over the course of the eight racing programs during the month of February.
On the track, nobody did it better than driver Yannick Gingras. During the month, Gingras – who won 13 times during the opening weekend – visited the winner’s circle 33 times. His win percentage was a gaudy 33 and he hit the board 57 per cent of the time.
The next three most prolific winning drivers – Dexter Dunn (14), Andy Miller (11) and Corey Callahan (9) – all did well, yet combined to win only one more race than Gingras did all by himself.
Trainer Ron Burke – who not surprisingly uses Gingras as his go-to pilot – also amassed remarkable February numbers, as his stable won 18 of its 46 ‘Big M’ starts, which was good for a win percentage of 39.
Wagering at the sport’s industry leader hit high gear during February when a total of $23,122,405 was pushed through the windows. Average handle per card was $2,890,300, while $222,330 was bet per race.
The Big M’s popular low takeout (15 per cent) multi-leg bets saw plenty of play. The eight February 50-Cent Pick-5 pools took $480,160 in action, averaging $60,020 per, while the 50-Cent Pick-4 handled $788,568, good for an average pool of $98,571.
Last Saturday (Feb. 23), shrewd handicappers hit big when playing the wagers. The Pick-5 saw no winning favourites during its sequence, and as a result, those holding winning tickets cashed in for $14,703. On the same night, the Pick-4 came back an extremely appealing $4,492 despite a pair of winning ‘figure’ horses. During that sequence, there was one winner who paid $7.80 as a second choice and another who came back $4.20 as the even-money favourite, with both driven by Gingras.
The challenge for those who hit was having one 20-1 shot and one 15-1 chance, both of whom went inside trips as a contentious pace with a live outer flow unfolded around them, a common Meadowlands occurrence.
The average Pick-5 payoff during February was $3,264, while the Pick-4 yielded $1,207.
Free program pages for the Pick-4s for the upcoming Friday and Saturday programs are available – as always – by heading to ustrotting.com or playmeadowlands.com.
When racing resumes Friday at 7:15 p.m., 20-Cent Jackpot Super High-Five players will have a pair of healthy carryovers to shoot for. In the fifth race, $54,633 will be the starting point, while in the 13th race, $14,065 will be up for grabs.
February might be over, but there is much to look forward to in March. The first of two substantial purse increases take effect Friday. One such increase will be reflected in the Preferred Handicap (Race 7) for pacers, where the purse, which had been $21,000, will now offer $25,000 for the top five finishers to divvy up.
“Good weather, competitive racing and full fields led to us having a great month of February,” said Meadowlands Racetrack Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir, “the support of our horsemen was a big factor on how well things went. Starting this week, we hope to continue to get their support as we offer bigger purses, which should provide our fans with the wagering opportunities – specifically big fields – they want.”
(With files from the Meadowlands Racetrack)