East Rutherford, NJ — At the conclusion of last Saturday’s (July 25) Meadowlands program, the Big M faithful were no doubt already looking forward to the next race card since both the 20-cent Pick-5 and 20-cent Pick-6 failed to produce any winning tickets, creating huge possibilities for Friday (July 31) when racing resumes at 7:15 p.m.

A total of $270,000 in guaranteed money will be up for grabs and you won’t want to be late, as last week’s Pick-5 carryover of $52,665 has led to Big M management offering up a $150,000 instant guaranteed pool for this week’s Pick-5, which gets underway in the first race.

An example of why carryovers are so precious to the player: If Friday’s Pick-5 takes in $150,000 in “new money,” for a final pool of $200,000, the player’s edge is 20 percent.

The mathematics: When 15 percent of $150,000 is taken out, you are left with $127,500. Add in the $52,665 carryover, the total pool is $180,165, thus, a “surplus” of $30,165.

Fans of the 20-cent Pick-6 are also in for a Fabulous Friday, as that pool has a $30,000 instant guarantee, the result of last week’s $13,524 carryover. The wager begins in race four.

Horseplayers can get an awful lot of bang for their buck, as they can play the same amount of combinations they used to play for 50-cent minimums for 60 percent less or play 2-1/2 times more combinations for the same amount of green.

A typical 50-cent base bet might use a 1x4x4x4 spread for a total of $32. Betting with a 20-cent base, one could spend the same $32 but have a ticket with a 1x2x4x4x5 spread.

The Big M’s signature bet, the 50-cent Pick-4, will offer up its usual double dose on the Friday and Saturday programs. The Early Pick-4 kicks off in race six and has a guaranteed pool of $50,000, while the Late Pick-4 (race 10) offers a $40,000 promise.

The Late Pick-4 has been the hot ticket of late, with three straight pools exceeding $100,000 in action.

The 13th race 20-cent Jackpot Super High-Five has a carryover that continues to bloat. That pot will start out at $102,563 for Friday’s finale.

This Weekend: Friday night at The Meadowlands features big action at the windows, and on the track as well, as there will be two eliminations for the Jim Doherty Memorial for 2-year-old fillies on the trot, while the male freshman trotters will go at it in one Peter Haughton Memorial elim.

Saturday night’s card is packed with star power. There will be two eliminations for the 95th edition of the $1 million Hambletonian for 3-year-olds on the trot, where Stanley Dancer Memorial winners Back Of The Neck and Ready For Moni are favored in their respective splits.

In addition, Meadowlands Pace winner Tall Dark Stranger makes his return to the races in a division of the Tompkins-Geers.

Next Weekend: Friday (Aug. 7) night’s races will begin at the usual 7:15 p.m., but on Saturday (Aug. 8), Hambletonian Day, a huge 16-race program gets underway at noon.

In addition to the Hambo, the $600,000 Hambletonian Oaks, $285,000 Cane Pace, $100,000 Shady Daisy, $230,000 Sam McKee, $183,500 Lady Liberty, $280,000 John Cashman, $186,000 John Steele, $324,000 Peter Haughton and $310,000 Jim Doherty will also be on the card.

Coming To The Track? This Friday and Saturday, Big M visitors can make reservations and dine on the West Deck for $29.95. For reservations, contact Marianne Rotella at 201.842.5059 or mrotella@playmeadowlands.com.

Fans are welcome to come to the track who prefer not to dine, but with an outdoor social-gathering limit of 500 people, as long as they wear their masks and adhere to other safety precautions, or they can watch the action from the backyard, where there will be additional dining options.

Hambletonian Day will have special conditions for those wanting to attend the races. If you would like to come out, you should read the following.

Free Stuff: For free past performances, go to playmeadowlands.com, where race fans can access the entire Friday card by going to this link.

On Saturday night, races 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 will be offered, so that in addition to the Early Pick-4, racing fans will also have access to the pages for the Tompkins-Geers, Hambletonian eliminations and Miss Versatility.

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. Click on this link to check out Friday’s card.

Additionally, track announcer Ken 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.

Tweet The Team: Stay in touch on Twitter with the Big M’s Brower (@eedoogie), Dave Little (@DaveLittleBigM), Warkentin (@kenvoiceover) and Jessica Otten (@JessicaOtten1). Check in everyday for Meadowlands news and updates at those handles, as well as @TheMeadowlands and #playbigm.

How To Watch, How To Bet: For those fans who prefer to not attend the races but are still anxious to be a part of the action, they can watch the races on the Roberts Television Network (rtn.tv) or on the Television Games Network (TVG). To bet the races go to 4njbets.com, tvg.com or your favorite ADW (advance-deposit wagering) platform.