East Rutherford, NJ — The wagering on Meadowlands Pace Night Saturday (July 18) at The Meadowlands got off to a fast start and just kept on rolling all night long.

When all the money was counted, a total of $5,051,261 was wagered on the 13-race program, by far the most in the industry this year and most on a Pace Night card since 2008, when betting was $5,371,055. This year’s total represented an increase of 25 percent over 2019 when total action was $4,044,303.

The play on Saturday was hot and heavy from the start, as $419,581 was wagered in the first race, which included $130,539 in the 20-cent Pick-5 pool, a 2020 Big M best.

The track offered a $100,000 guaranteed pool on the Early 50-cent Pick-4 in race six, and wagering blew past that number, as another seasonal best — $191,288 — was poured into the pot.

The 11th race offered a mandatory payout on the 20-cent Jackpot Super High-Five, and $133,578 in “new money” was added to the carryover of $65,089 to create a total pool of $198,667. Those who held tickets bearing the winning combination of 4-2-11-3-1 cashed in for $3,765.32.

Not surprisingly, the Meadowlands Pace took the most action of any single race on the card, with a total of $645,423 bet, the largest total since the 2013 Pace, when $662,159 was pushed through the windows.

A Little More: When it came to the driver’s colony on Pace Night, all 13 races were won by some of the very best in the game. Dexter Dunn and Andy McCarthy won three races apiece, followed by Yannick Gingras and Brian Sears, who each scored twice. The remaining races were taken by Tim Tetrick, Scott Zeron and David Miller.

Racing resumes Friday at 7:15 p.m.