More stakes action at Big M

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – The harness racing stakes carousel stays in motion this Saturday (Nov. 11) at The Meadowlands when $250,000 in purses are up for grabs in the New Jersey Garden State and New Jersey Home Grown, which are events for 2-year-olds of each sex and gait.

The Garden State and Home Grown are part of what will be another big weekend at the mile oval. Betting last week (Nov. 3-4) totaled over $5.5 million, including $3.075 million on Saturday, the 51^st occasion this year from 73 race cards where betting busted the $3-million barrier.

“The Meadowlands offers horseplayers around the world a very unique wagering menu,” said track Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “We have come a long way from offering one Pick-4 a night. This makes it possible for players to take a variety of paths in their quest to make a score. Big fields and low takeouts are an essential part of making the playing field for our horseplayers as attractive as possible.”

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

BET A LITTLE, WIN A LOT: Players at The Meadowlands know they can take advantage of wagers with small minimum-base investments in an effort to make a score.

Last Friday, some big returns came in the Early 50-cent Pick-4 ($3,545) and the eighth-race $1 Trifecta ($4,207) and 10-cent Superfecta ($1,974).

Saturday’s huge hits came in the fifth-race $1 Trifecta ($9,786), 20-cent Pick-5 ($8,909), 20-cent Survivor Pick-7 ($6,715) and 20-cent Pick-8 ($3,975). The Pick-8 featured a double carryover.

SISTER ACT: This week at The Big M, you’ll have some double vision, as they’ll be two Ottens on set for the price of one.

Jenna Otten, 23, will join big-sister Jessica, 26, on set Friday for the pregame show and all of the usual on-camera handicapping spots during the course of the 14-race card before heading to the back paddock Saturday to conduct horsemen interviews.

Jenna just finished her first year as co-host on the Scioto Downs TV in-house broadcast and also got some national exposure with Jessica on Fox Sports during Ohio Sire Stakes Super Night.

“I’m nervous and excited about the chance to work at The Meadowlands,” said Jenna, “and very grateful for the opportunity.”

DID YOU SAY FREE? Free past performances for every race of every Meadowlands card are available by going to playmeadowlands.com.

WITHERITE’S RACE REVIEWS: Race reviews and selections by The Meadowlands’ morning-line odds maker 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”.

THE SKED: The Meadowlands will race every Friday and Saturday through the end of the year, with two exceptions.

There will be no live racing on Friday, Nov. 24, while there will be live action on Thursday, Dec. 7.

Post time for every program is 6:20 p.m.

MORE SIZZLING STAKES: After eliminations (if necessary) are contested on Saturday, Nov. 18, the “Fall Final Four” and FanDuel Championships will make up a can’t-miss, date-circling-worthy night of competition on Saturday, Nov. 25 when an estimated $2.65 million in purse money will be up for grabs on what is the third-biggest night of the Big M calendar year after Hambletonian Day and Meadowlands Pace Night.

The Fall Final Four is made up of the Governor’s Cup (2-year-old colt and gelding pace), Three Diamonds (2FP), Valley Victory (2CGT) and Goldsmith Maid (2FT). The FanDuel four-pack is made up of the Open Pace, Open Trot, Open Mare Pace and Open Mare Trot. All eight events figure to have great impact when ballots are cast at year’s end for Dan Patch divisional honors, as well as Pacer and Trotter of the Year.

BIG SIMULCAST THURSDAY: There are a pair of big-time events taking place Thursday (Nov. 9) that are sure to satisfy the appetite of any simulcast patron.

Rosecroft (Maryland) Raceway will host the $125,000 Potomac Pace and features a matchup of the top two horses in the older male pacing division.

Duking it out in the Potomac are Tattoo Artist and Bythemissal, with a Dan Patch divisional trophy very much up for grabs.

Bythemissal, sent off at 9-5, pulled off a minor upset in the Breeders Crown over 4-5 favorite Tattoo Artist in 1:48 over a track rated ‘sloppy’ at Harrah’s Hoosier Park, ending Tattoo Artist’s seven-race winning streak.

On Thursday, Bythemissal (Gingras driving) is the 6-5 morning-line favorite from post seven while Tattoo Artist (Louis-Philippe Roy) is 9-5 from post one.

The Potomac is race 12 (post time, 10:55 p.m.) on a 14-race program.

In addition, harness racing’s No. 1 attraction will be in action in the $170,850 Matron Stakes for 3-year-old colt and gelding pacers at Delaware’s Dover Downs.

Confederate, the Brett Pelling-trained son of Sweet Lou-Geothermal, will depart from post seven in race 12 on a 15-race program, and is listed as the 2-5 morning-line favorite in the dash that has a probable post time of 8:10 p.m.

From The Meadowlands