East Rutherford, NJ — The Meadowlands is historically known as a track where favorites can be vulnerable, the result of its mile circumference, competitive fast-paced racing and big 10-horse fields, but lately, even those who love it when bombs drop near the Jersey swamp must be a little surprised at how prolific these horses have been.
The last three race cards at The Big M (Jan. 18, Jan. 24 and Jan. 25) have seen a big handful of eye-popping results.
The laundry list of horses paying $50 or more over that span:
Saturday, Jan. 18:
Race 1, Captain Marvel, 36-1 odds, paying $74.60 to win
Race 6, Genius Man, 74-1, $150.60
Race 11, Lava Field, 46-1, $95.60
In addition, 82-1 shot Spirit Of Truth won race two, but returned $42.60 after being part of the first triple dead heat in track history
Friday, Jan. 24:
Race 1, Heartlandbanysbro, 76-1, $154.40
Race 2, Rockinwiththebest, 27-1, $57.40 (Daily Double paid $4,637.40)
Race 5, Second Bruiser, 44-1, $90.20
Race 7, Corsini A, 55-1, $112.80
Saturday, Jan. 25:
Race 9, Sling Shock, 72-1, $146.40
Race 12, Spirit Of Truth, 56-1, $115.40
That 42-race span saw nine winners pay over $50 (21 percent) and five that returned over $100 (12 percent). Ironically, chalk players weren’t left out in the cold, as favorites still managed to win 18 times, a track-typical 43 percent.
Over the span, the average win price was a hefty $31.83.
“We tend to have our share of big-priced winners,” said Big M Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “It’s not very often we go through a streak like this, but when we do, it creates a lot of excitement for our fan base. And on Friday, the longshot winners created a big carryover. Something our fans always go for in a big way.”
Friday’s fireworks festival led to a carryover of $28,744, which motivated bettors to pour an astonishing $183,943 of “new money” into the Saturday 20-cent Pick-5 pool for a grand total of $212,687.
Unlike the Friday night sequence that created the carryover, winner’s odds Saturday were a more reasonable 6-1, 17-1, 3-2, 13-1 and 1-5. There were 66 winning tickets exchanged for $2,787.26 after the Ron Burke-trained, Yannick Gingras-driven Antognoni S scored as the heavy public choice in the payoff leg (race five), ending what turned out to be a de facto Pick-4 for those who singled the 1-5 public choice.
PICK-6 CARRYOVER: One ends, another begins.
There were no winning tickets sold on the 20-cent Pick-6 last Saturday, creating a carryover of $5,153 for when racing resumes Friday. The Pick-6 is offered on races eight through 13.
FREE PPs: To show appreciation to its loyal fan base, The Meadowlands offers free program pages for every race of every race card on its website.
Go to playmeadowlands.com to get the past performances at absolutely no cost.
THE SCHEDULE: During the months of January and February, live racing will be conducted every Friday and Saturday with a first-race post-time of 6:20 p.m.
CHECK OUT THE SHOW: On live race nights, check out the live “Racing from The Meadowlands” pregame show at 5:45 p.m. when track announcer Ken Warkentin opens up the mic with a scene set and program changes before the team of Jessica Otten and Dave Little take over from the Sam McKee Memorial Broadcast Set with news, notes, selections and a look at the night’s featured races.
There is a new face joining the Big M TV team, as Joe Romanelli will handle interviews from the back paddock beginning Friday night. Recently, Romanelli, 25, served as the track announcer at Freehold Raceway and brings an energetic love of the sport as he embarks on his new position.
Before the start of the program, Romanelli will be introduced to the simulcast viewers in an interview with Dave Little on set at approximately 5:50 p.m.
THE BILL OF FARE: Every night, The Meadowlands offers a marvelous menu of popular wagers that offer a low 15 percent takeout.
They are:
20-cent Pick-5: Races 1-5
20-cent Survivor Pick-7: Races 3-9 (mandatory payout nightly)
50-cent Pick-4: Races 6-9 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
20-cent Pick-6: Races 8-13
50-cent Pick 4: Races 10-13 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
10-cent Non-jackpot Pentafecta (Hi-5): Race 14
TIME TO GET SOCIAL: Everything Meadowlands is available by going on X. You can check in with the Big M team for early changes, racing information and staff selections by going to @themeadowlands or #playbigm.
Stay in touch with The Big M team of Otten (@JessicaOtten1), Little (@DaveLittleBigM) and Warkentin (@kenvoiceover).
CHILI COOK-OFF: One of The Meadowlands’ more popular promotions is the Chili Cook-Off, and the winter edition of the tasty treat takes place on Saturday (Feb. 1).
There will be prizes for Homestyle Chili, Red Chili, People’s Choice Chili, Best Booth and Salsa.
If you are a cook, come on out and see how your skills in the kitchen stack up against everybody else’s in the contest. Not a cook? Come and get yourself some free samples all night long.
For complete information, and how to enter, go here.