from the Meadowlands Media Relations Department

East Rutherford, NJ — While wagering in general remained strong at the Meadowlands last weekend (Jan. 12-13), players were especially fired up when it came time to play the track’s popular Pick-4 and Pick-5 wagers.

The Friday Pick-5 had a pool that swelled to $253,772, with interest in the wager piqued due to a $28,786 carryover from the prior race card. The five-bagger has a 50-cent base bet and a low takeout of 15 percent (which the carryover is not subject to). The Pick-5 saw three winning favorites but the payoff was still a handsome $2,820.

The next night saw the bettors pour $45,432 into the Pick-5 pool, and those who had a winning ticket cashed $9,653, as only one post-time public choice visited the winner’s circle.

“We are extremely happy with our multi-race wagers,” said track chief operating officer and general manager Jason Settlemoir. “The Pick-4 pools have exploded, averaging over $80,000 the last two weekends, compared to $64,000 the previous four Fridays and Saturdays. Of course, we were thrilled with our Friday Pick-5 carryover. The players response to these low takeout wagers has been enthusiastic, to say the least.”

While not a multi-race bet, there figures to be plenty of interest in the Late 20-cent Jackpot Super High Five when racing resumes Friday night. That wager, which requires one to be a single-ticket holder of the top five finishers in the evening’s last race, sports a carryover of $68,553.

Some other wagering notes from last weekend:

• The Early Daily Double pools averaged over $33,500
• Friday night’s fourth race saw an exacta pool of $87,142 and a trifecta of $60,214
• Total wagering over the weekend was $5.25 million, or better than $2.6 million per night

Free program pages for the Meadowlands Pick-4, courtesy of TrackMaster, are available on the Meadowlands’ website (www.playmeadowlands.com) and on the handicapping section at www.ustrotting.com.

Early post time extended: The winter post time of 6:35 p.m. has been extended. The 40-minutes-earlier-than-usual starting time will now continue until Saturday (March 17). Post time will change to 7:15 p.m. on Friday (March 23). Harness racing continues at the Meadowlands on Fridays and Saturdays through Saturday (Aug. 4).