Last weekend, the Meadowlands Racetrack saw plenty of action on a pair of popular multi-leg wagers, which was the result of sizable carryovers. Fans of 'Big M' racing will have similar opportunities on a pair of prominent puzzles this week when racing resumes Friday (Sept. 18) at 7:15 p.m.
Last Saturday (Sept. 12), driver Pat Berry, aka 'The Blueberry Bomber,' lit up the board with Harambe Deo in the 10th race at odds of 33-1, which served as the reason that the 20-cent Late Pick-5 and 50-cent Late Pick-4 failed to yield a winning ticket. As a result, both wagers will have sizable carryovers to titillate the palates of those who sample the Big M’s betting menu this Friday.
A week ago, the Early 20-cent Pick-5 had a carryover heading into Saturday’s card, and after $151,228 in 'new money' was poured into the pot, the total wager was just over $188,000. Those who correctly selected five winners (there was a 6-5 shot and a 4-5 during the sequence) cashed in for $271.46.
The 20-cent Pick-6 saw almost $14,000 in new action, which ran the total pool to $20,760. Players with winning tickets were singing the praises of trainer/driver Eric Abbatiello, whose superb handling with Like Clockwork led to a score at odds of 20-1 in the anchor leg (Race 8). The payoff was $6,222.48.
This Friday, bettors will shoot first for the Late 20-cent Pick-5 (Race 9 through 13), which has a carryover of $21,811, before getting a rare opportunity by betting into a Late 50-cent Pick-4 with a carryover, which stands at $38,390.
Friday will mark the first time in 2020 that a Pick-4 (Race 10 through 13) has had a carryover, thus, it is likely that this will be the biggest pool of the year. On Meadowlands Pace Night (July 18), a total of $191,288 was pushed through the 'P4' windows for the high-water mark of 2020.
“Carryovers create added interest in our already-popular multi-leg bets, which always offer a low 15 per cent takeout,” said track COO/GM Jason Settlemoir. “At the Meadowlands, our fans can always shoot for a big score, and with low-minimum base wagers, players can bet a little and win a lot.”
SUPER SEPTEMBER: From management to patrons, all who follow Big M racing with interest are grateful to Gov. Phil Murphy and the members of the New Jersey legislature, whose efforts to see racing get the money it needs to flourish have shown results.
Last weekend, handle was over $5 million. The last time racing was offered in September – 2017 – handle was $3.4 million over the two race cards. Saturday’s total wager of $2.7 million was up over a million dollars as compared to the Saturday three years prior.
TODD SCORES FOUR: It took driver Todd McCarthy, 27, one night to stamp himself as a player in the Big M driver colony. The younger brother of standout pilot Andy McCarthy won four races – his first four career wins at the mile oval – on Saturday night’s card.
BET LITTLE, WIN BIG: 'Racing from the Meadowlands' TV personality Dave Little had a memorable Saturday night – as did those who followed his picks – by turning three dimes into one big dime.
The former longtime handicapper and columnist at the New York Daily News gave out both the Early 20-cent Pick-5 as well as the Early 10-cent Pentafecta.
The Pick-5 returned $271.46, but since Little had both 6-1 shots who dead-heated in the third race, he and his followers had two winning tickets on his $24 bet. The 10-cent Pentafecta, in which Little used three horses in the win position then one more in positions two through five (3x4x5x6x7), proved that a small investment ($24.30) can end in a big payout ($580.70).
In the end, betting $48.30 with Little ended up in a big $1,123.62 windfall. Until, of course, Little failed to hit either of his Pick-4 plays or Little’s Late Double! “You’re only as good as the last ticket you give out,” lamented Little.
The sampling is small, but the average payouts at the fall meet have been impressive. The Pentafecta’s average payoff is $565, the Pick-5’s is $892 and the 20-cent Pick-6 checks in at $4,175.
You can always find Little’s plays, as well as those of Dave Brower, Ken Warkentin and Jessica Otten on Twitter at #playbigm.
FREE STUFF: For free past performances, go to playmeadowlands.com, where one can access Race 9 through 13 for both the Friday and Saturday programs. Those races include the 20-cent Late Pick-5, 50-cent Late Pick-4 and 10-cent Late Pentafecta, not to mention the Late Daily Double.
TWEET THE TEAM: Stay in touch on Twitter with the Big M’s Brower (@eedoogie), Little (@DaveLittleBigM), Warkentin (@kenvoiceover) and 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. For Friday’s card, click on the following link: http://playmeadowlands.com/RaceReviews.aspx?racedt=9/18/2020.
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: The Big M’s 'Racing from The Meadowlands' pre-game show can always be seen on race nights live. On Friday, join the usual team of Brower and Little sitting on the set – socially distanced, of course – giving out Big M news and notes, as well as both Pick-4s during the evening.
Saturday will find Little hosting with Otten in the co-host’s chair. The show kicks off nightly at 6:42 p.m. with a hello from Warkentin, who provides the night’s program changes.
For those looking for access to the show, as well as the live racing, all they need to do is go to rtn.tv, so that they can access all the action on the Roberts Television Network.
ALL THIS….AND SPORTS BETTING, TOO: The Big M’s FanDuel Sportsbook is the place to get all of your MLB, NBA, NHL, WNBA, PGA and NFL action, every day from 10 a.m.-midnight.
(Meadowlands Racetrack)