by John Pawlak, the U.S. Trotting Association

Columbus, OH — The opening weekend of the U.S. Trotting Association’s Strategic Wagering program returned excellent results. The program is designed to provide value to horseplayers by guaranteeing the size of designated betting pools.

USTA Director Chris Schick, who first offered the idea of the USTA partnering with its member racetracks to guarantee pool sizes, reported that all the guarantees were met.

“Northfield Park handled $14,999 and $12,491 (in designated pools) on Friday and Saturday,” Schick reported, adding, “Balmoral Park handled $34,071 and $43,522 on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.”

Balmoral Simulcast Coordinator Jim Hannon reported that the guarantees spurred increases in wagering: “On Saturday, Balmoral did over $33,000 on the Pick-4, compared to an average of $12,000, and on Sunday we did over $43,000, with an average of $20,000. Therefore, we more than doubled the handle on our Pick-4 wagers on both days, which is a very positive sign.”

For the latest schedule of wagers in the program as well as expert selections, visit the USTA’s handicapping page at http://handicapping.ustrotting.com. On the handicapping page you can find a list of participating wagers, as well as links to free past performances, provided courtesy of TrackMaster.

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