East Rutherford, NJ — According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary website, a “gold standard” is something set up as an example against which others of the same type are compared.

And if one compares the seemingly endless string of nights when betting exceeds $3 million at The Meadowlands, every other track in North America comes up short against the industry’s handle leader.

“We are proud to have wagered over $3 million on 25 occasions this year from 29 total race cards,” said Big M Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “We are fortunate to have a race office staff that puts together events that bettors like to wager on, and horsemen who support our entry box week after week. Without them, I don’t think we’d be able to put up the numbers we do.”

Race secretary Scott Warren and his staff have come up with creative ways to card competitive races, despite several tracks in close proximity to The Big M opening up in recent weeks and siphoning off some of the horse flesh.

Last weekend, there were two TrackMaster Series finals on Friday which were won by Just A Rocket Man (at the modest TM 71 level) and Paige Perfect (73.5), respectively, each of whom completed three-race sweeps of their respective series. The TM71 race had a purse of $12,500 while the 73.5 went for $14,000. Both purses were considerably more than what horses of that caliber would normally compete for.

On Saturday, Jack’s Shadow N put on a powerhouse performance in the Play Meadowlands Series final — which carried a purse of $20,000 — with a lifetime-best-equaling 1:50.1 win.

These are the type of events that will, in the hopes of Meadowlands’ management, keep the track’s handle train in motion until The Big M’s unmatched-in-the-sport Championship Meet begins on Kentucky Derby Day (Saturday, May 4).

“To maintain the type of consistency we have from a business perspective is something we are extremely pleased with,” said Settlemoir. “Our fan base continues to support us, and we appreciate that very much. That’s why we try our best to give them the best product we possibly can every Friday and Saturday.”

Handle during April has cleared the $3 million hurdle on each of the four race cards contested thus far, with a high of $3.25 million on April 12 and a low of $3.1 million on April 5.

Competitive series offering bigger purses than what horsemen are accustomed to is part of the Meadowlands’ template for success. Another part of the $3 million equation can be attributed to the Meadowlands Amateur Driving Club events, which lately, has seen four dashes — three on Fridays, one on Saturdays — during the weekend.

“The sport of harness racing has rural American roots,” said Settlemoir. “Perhaps nothing personifies the humble spirit of our sport more than the MADC. Numbers don’t lie. Currently, the MADC are the most popular races in our sport. It’s truly amazing.”

The handle on these races back those words up. The total wagering on MADC events for the weekend of April 5-6 was $939,437, an average per race of $234,859. Last weekend, the total swelled to an incredible $1,204,198, an average of $301,049. For context, on a given night with the usual 14 races, an average of $300,000 per race would result in a total wager of $4.2 million.

Given the consistent total betting, it’s no surprise how steady action has been in the track’s popular multi-leg wagers.
During the month, the 20-cent Pick-5 has seen a low of $65,705 and a high of $91,734, and has averaged $79,585. The Early 50-cent Pick-4 — as low as $73,100 and as high as $103,885 — is averaging $84,201, while the Late P4 is averaging $87,452 with a low of $76,847 and a high of $105,714.

Big Hits For Less Than Two Bits: Need some proof that Big M players can make a score while wagering as little as 20 cents?

Last Friday’s 20-cent Pick-5 returned $10,804 while the 20-cent Survivor Pick-7 paid out $8,126.

Saturday’s big hits came in the Pick 7 ($4,334), 20-cent Pick-8 ($3,062) and 20-cent Pick-6 ($2,249).

‘Thunder’ In The Sulky: Live racing, as usual, will take place this weekend on Friday (April 19) and Saturday (April 20) with a first-race post time of 6:20 p.m.

On Saturday, Andy McCarthy, aka The Thunder from Down Under, will be Dave Little’s guest on the track’s pregame show In the Sulky segment. The pregame show kicks off at 5:45 p.m.

Derby Day Just Two Weeks Away: One of the biggest days — if not the biggest — in the horse racing industry during any calendar year is fast approaching.

The Kentucky Derby is known as “The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports,” and if you would like to be a part of horse racing’s biggest event, head to The Meadowlands on Saturday (May 4) and spend the day at the best place to watch and wager on the 150th “Run for the Roses.”

For more information, click here.

Have A Beer On Derby Day: On Kentucky Derby Day, The Meadowlands will host its annual Beer Fest.

Though over 60 breweries and cideries are participating, the 15 participating New Jersey breweries are a true festival highlight.

The event will be held in the Backyard and on the East Apron and will open to the public at 4 p.m. for VIP admission.

General admission begins at 5 p.m. and is available in advance for $45 or at the door for $50. The VIP ticket is $65 and includes an additional hour of sampling, exclusive VIP Tent beer samplings, and food.

For complete information, and to purchase tickets, go here.

Free Programs Every Night: Past performances for every race of every Meadowlands card are available free of charge. All one has to do is go to playmeadowlands.com to access the information.

“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), Little (@DaveLittleBigM) and Ken Warkentin (@kenvoiceover).

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” 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

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.”