from the Meadowlands Media Relations Department
East Rutherford, NJ — It may not have surpassed the $3 million mark as it did on Saturday (March 3), but wagering at the Meadowlands remained vigorous last Saturday (March 10) as a 2018 second-best total of $2,875,940 was bet on the ultra-competitive 13-race card.
The faithful gambled with verve throughout the night as the first race saw a 20-cent Survivor Pick-10 pool of $18,598 while the third race Pick-5 saw $58,334 in play. The eighth race Pick-4 pool pushed past the $90,000 mark for a third consecutive Saturday ($91,904) before the 13th race finale, which saw bets total $286,600, the weekly single-race high.
That race did as well as it did in part because the Late 20-cent Jackpot Super High Five saw $35,643 in wagers, and after the pick the first five finishers in official order of finish puzzle failed to result in a single-ticket winner, the carryover ballooned to $139,614, which will be on the minds of the Meadowlands players who figure to hang around for the last race this Friday night.
Fabulous Friday: Last Friday (March 9) saw some big play as well, as the 20-cent Survivor Pick 10 resulted in a single-ticket winner walking away with a payoff of $18,447. The Pick-5 saw $48,126 in wagers, and after a sequence that saw the last three races won by favorites, the payoff was a superb $4,429 for a 50-cent bet. The 50-cent Pick-4 ($87,607 in the pool) saw no chalk winners and a payout of $4,131.
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.
Post Time change: This Friday and Saturday will be the final weekend when post time will be 6:35 p.m. Beginning Friday (March 23), post time will switch to 7:15 p.m. as racing will continue to be conducted on Friday and Saturday nights.
Final live show Friday: “Meadowlands Harness Live” returns Friday at 9 p.m. on SNY for the final time this season with coverage of races seven, eight and nine. The Big M TV team of Dave Brower, Dave Little, Hall of Famer Bob “Hollywood” Heyden and Ken Warkentin will provide commentary, selections and interviews.
Hoops and Horses: Catch all of college basketball’s “March Madness” in the Big M’s Victory sports bar on its massive HDTVs. See all of the games from March 15 through April 2, except Sundays, when Victory is closed. During tournament action, there will be beer specials, plus you can enter the MRE Sports Challenge for free and take a swing at the $6,500 grand prize.