East Rutherford, NJ – A new post time of 6:55 p.m. and new betting choices highlighted the action at the Meadowlands Friday night (Feb. 7), and despite no horse paying off at double-digit odds through the first nine races, the payoffs for the 20-cent Pick-5, 20-cent Pick-6 and Early 50-cent Pick-4 were all extremely attractive.

The Pick-5, which saw its base bet decrease from 50 cents, saw a typical pool of $55,082, which is more than double the wager’s $25,000 guarantee. But with bettors “spreading” their tickets further, the resulting payoff of $534.04 for the new, lowered 20-cent wager was superb given that the odds of the winners during the sequence were 4-1, 9-2, 3-2, 8-5 and 6-1. The horses in the third and fourth legs were the post-time favorites.

The Pick-6, which will no doubt offer attractive carryovers on occasion in the coming weeks, paid off on six-for-six to the tune of $3,056.56. All the winners were 6-1 or less – with one exception – as Muscle Fashion won the seventh race, paying $20.80 to win.

Say You Do (#6) and driver Tyler Buter take the Friday night featured high-end conditioned trot at the Meadowlands. Lisa Photo.

The Big M’s “signature” wager – the Early 50-cent Pick-4 – now begins in race six, and after Say You Do sat a perfect pocket trip to surge past Rubber Duck to win at 5-1 in the payoff leg, those who hit cashed in for $758.90. The key to hitting was Leg One, when players included 4-1 shot Resita, who upset 2-5 favorite Max.

The Late 50-cent Pick-4 also yielded a solid payout despite favorites winning the last two legs. A 16-1 shot started the sequence followed by a 6-1 leading to another four-figure payoff, at $1,130.90.
All-source wagering on the 13-race card surpassed the $2.5-million mark for a fourth straight program as $2,534,709 was put in play.

A LITTLE MORE: Corey Callahan, Andy Miller, Tyler Buter and Dexter Dunn all recorded driving doubles on the program. … Windy conditions made things tough on horses racing on the front end all night long. Handicappers should take that into consideration when looking at those horses who raced on this card and showed speed. … Racing resumes Saturday (Feb. 8) at 6:55 p.m.