East Rutherford, NJ — They’ll be an extra night of live racing at The Meadowlands this week, so take the night off from the holiday season hustle-and-bustle and head to the mile oval Thursday (Dec. 7) for an ultra-competitive 10-race program.

Racing will also be conducted on the usual Friday and Saturday evenings, with 14-race cards. All three nights will have a first-race post time of 6:20 p.m.

“A Thursday edition of live action kicks off a rare three-night weekend of racing at The Big M,” said track Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “Race secretary Scott Warren has put together a challenging 10-pack of pari-mutuel puzzles on Thursday, with an average field size of 9.3.”

Pick-8 Carryover: The Pick-8 went unhit for a third straight time last Saturday (Dec. 2), so there will be a triple carryover of $16,541 offered on the wager.

Patrons should be aware that the Pick-8 carryover will be offered on Friday’s card, not Thursday’s.

The Pick-8 is a non-jackpot wager that offers a 15 percent takeout and a minimum wager of 20 cents. The Pick-8 encompasses races four through 11.

Big Hits: Last Friday’s (Dec. 1) program saw 10 favorites from 14 races fail, setting up some big payouts, especially in the 13th race, when Marcus Miller guided Pull Me Through to victory at odds of 50-1.

The payoffs in that dash included: $106.20 to win; a $1,510 exacta; a $9,483 trifecta; and a 10-cent superfecta that returned $3,082. The 13th race was the payout leg of the Late 50-cent Pick-4, which returned $42,763.

But that wasn’t all.

In the first race, the exacta returned $1,376.30 and the trifecta paid $11,661.60.

The Pick-5 paid a handsome $975.94 for a 20-cent wager, especially when you consider that two favorites emerged victorious during the segment.

The 10th race saw Pattycake Mooss score at 21-1, topping a $282 exacta and $1,701.40 trifecta.

The Sked: Once the three-day race week concludes this Saturday, The Meadowlands will race every Friday and Saturday through the end of the year.

Post time for every program is 6:20 p.m. with the live “Racing from The Meadowlands” pregame show at 5:45 p.m.

Did You Say Free? Free past performances for every race of every Meadowlands card are available by going to playmeadowlands.com.

The Great Eight: The Meadowlands provides eight opportunities for the player to make a score trying their luck betting in pools with a low 15 percent takeout. The lineup of The Big M’s “Great Eight” (except for Thursday) is as follows (all wagers — with the exception of the Pick-7 — are carryover eligible):

Race 1: 20-cent Pick-5
Race 2: 20-cent Survivor Pick-7
Race 4: 20-cent Pick-8
Race 6: 50-cent Pick-4 ($50,000 guarantee)
Race 7: 20-cent High-5
Race 8: 20-cent Pick-6
Race 10: 50-cent Pick-4 ($50,000 guarantee)
Race 11: 20-cent High-5

“X” Marks The Spot: Everything Meadowlands is available by going on X (formerly known as Twitter). 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 Jessica Otten (@JessicaOtten1), Dave Little (@DaveLittleBigM) and Ken Warkentin (@kenvoiceover).

Witherite’s Race Reviews: Race reviews and selections by The Meadowlands’ morning-line oddsmaker and program analyst James Witherite are available 48 hours before a given race card. To access, simply go to playmeadowlands.com, go to the “handicapping” tab, then click “race reviews.”

Toys For Tots: Meadowlands fans can make the holiday season bright for a boy or girl by bringing a new unwrapped toy to the track for children in need. For each toy you donate, you will receive a $5 betting voucher.

The Big M’s Toys for Tots collection drive runs until Saturday (Dec. 9), when, from 6:30-8:30 p.m., former New York Jets wide receiver Quincy Enunwa will be on-site helping the U.S. Marine Corps collect toys to be donated.

Following the collection drive, the New York City division of the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots will personally deliver the collected toys to children at SBH Health System. SBH Health System is committed to improving the health, wellness and well-being of the Bronx community. The diverse healthcare providers and staff are dedicated to providing the highest quality care.

“This is the sixth year we have partnered with Quincy Enunwa for Toys for Tots,” said Settlemoir. “Working together to make children’s holidays special is what it is all about. We encourage our patrons to donate a new unwrapped toy during this holiday season.”

Get Freddie’s Autograph: On Saturday (Dec. 9), come to the track for a special book signing of the “Superfecta Trial” by Freddie Hudson.

Hudson will be on-site autographing his book and talking harness racing at the track beginning at 6 p.m.