East Rutherford, NH – For a second straight night, driver Todd McCarthy had the hot hand, and for a second straight week, action in The Meadowlands’ 20-cent Pick-5 was huge. The combination led to a giant payday for a handful of sharp players.

Unlike seven days ago (Jan. 2), when the total Pick-5 pool of $360,948 was divvied up many ways as three favorites (two odds-on choices) scored during the sequence leading to a payoff of $343.74, members of the “Todd Squad” cashed in for big balloons this time around.

Saturday night, the pool was $195,759 including a $25,000 seed put up by the track and the Standardbred Owners Association of New Jersey, and those who had all five winners walked away with $25,057.52.

McCarthy, who won four times on the Friday card, scored on Saturday in the second race with 9-1 shot Pokerface Bluechip. He made the day of those who hit the bet when he guided 29-1 chance Effronte A to the winner’s circle in the fourth before winning his third race of the sequence with 2-1 favorite Somebaddude in the fifth-race payoff leg.

Winner’s odds for the sequence – that included a pair of post-time public choices – were 7-1, 9-1, 6-5, 29-1 and 2-1.