Double carryovers await Big M fans

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – If carryovers are great, then double carryovers are twice as nice, and a double carryover is exactly what Meadowlands harness racing players will be shooting for when racing resumes Friday (Dec. 20) at 6:20 p.m.

There were no winning tickets sold last weekend (Dec. 13-14) on the 20-cent Pick-6, meaning that a double carryover of $15,667 will be up for grabs Friday night when the wager takes place on races eight through 13.

Remember, free past performances for every race of every Big M card are available by going to playmeadowlands.com.

A carryover of this size can make some serious noise.

For example, here are the numbers should the total pool be $60,000:

• Carryover: $15,667
• New money: $44,333
• Final pool: $60,000
• Takeout on new money: $6,650
• Net pool: $53,350
• Surplus: $9,017
• Return: If the wager is hit, the return to players with winning tickets will be 120 percent, a remarkably high “negative takeout”

If the response is overwhelming and new money were to total $100,000, there is still a big enough carryover to cover the low 15 percent rake, leaving bettors swimming in a negative pool.

“These are the types of opportunities our players live for,” said track Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “When you combine a low takeout with a big carryover, you get a scenario which brings the players out to play in a big way. In addition, we have been able to maintain carding our programs with full 10-horse fields, something else our customers really appreciate.”

Remarkably, there are 14 races scheduled for both Friday and Saturday, and all 28 dashes will have 10 horses in behind the gate, removing the need to figure out what the average field size will be (in the event there are no scratches).

Last week, there were a pair of eye-popping payouts.

On Friday, the Late 50-cent Pick-4 returned $2,011, while on Saturday, the 20-cent Survivor Pick-7 came back $2,293.

Big fields work.

“Our race office does a great job of interacting with our horsemen to provide the type of betting opportunities that exist here at The Big M,” said Settlemoir. “Every winter, we try to deliver big fields for the player, and, for a vast majority of the races, we have been able to do just that.”

JUST FOUR TO GO: There are just four programs remaining on The Meadowlands’ 2024 calendar. Live racing will take place this week and next on the usual Friday and Saturday evenings at the usual post time of 6:20 p.m.

Check out The Big M’s “A”-team of Dave Little and Jessica Otten live from the Sam McKee Memorial Broadcast Set to get you ready for all four race cards with news, notes, selections and a look at the night’s featured races. The pregame show kicks off at 5:45 p.m. when track announcer Ken Warkentin opens the evening up with promos as well as scratches and changes.

Northfield Park’s Michael Carter will be in town this weekend providing his insights as well as interviews with horsemen from the back paddock. On Friday, Carter will take a swing at the Pick-6 by providing a ticket that will no doubt be player friendly.

A HOLIDAY MESSAGE: “On behalf of Jeff and Paula Gural, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish all of our employees, owners and horsemen a very happy holiday season,” said Settlemoir. “And, of course, I’d like to thank our fans – both on- and off-track – who consistently wager on our product, which is a major factor in our being the No. 1 harness track in the world. Without them, we would not be where we are on the harness racing landscape.”

THINK BIG, TAKEOUT SMALL: Here is a look at the menu of the popular wagers at The Meadowlands that offer a low 15 percent takeout:

• 20-cent Pick-5: Race 1-5
• 20-cent Survivor Pick-7: Races 3-9 (mandatory payout nightly)
• 50-cent Pick-4: Races 6-9 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
• 20-cent Pick-6: Races 8-13
• 50-cent Pick 4: Races 10-13 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
• 10-cent Non-jackpot Pentafecta (Hi-5): Race 14

WILL ‘RUTHLESS’ GET REVENGE? Last week, Ruthless Hanover, the standout speedball from the Tom Cancelliere barn, got nailed in deep stretch as the 2-5 favorite by the Jeff Cullipher-trained Spring Inhis Step A.

‘Ruthless’ will look to get back on the winning track in the Saturday night feature, the $40,000 Preferred Handicap for pacers, which is the 10^th race on the card.

In addition to the top two finishers in the race from last week, the field also includes third-place finisher Maximus Miki (another Cancelliere student), as well as South Beach Star (who scratched last week) and Humble A, an Australian invader who has won all seven of his North American starts this year. Humble A will be making his first start of 2024 at a track other than Yonkers Raceway.

“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 Otten (@JessicaOtten1), Little (@DaveLittleBigM), Warkentin (@kenvoiceover) and John Rallis (@john_rallis).

RALLIS’ RACE REVIEWS: For some help with your handicapping, check out the race reviews of Rallis, who is the Big M’s morning-line oddsmaker and program analyst.

Rallis’ reviews are available 48 hours before a given card, and all one has to do to access the information is go to playmeadowlands.com, go to the “handicapping” tab, then click “race reviews.”

IT’S THE SEASON OF GIVING: In partnership with New York Jets game analyst Quincy Enunwa and the United States Marines, The Meadowlands concluded its annual Toys for Tots collection drive on Friday (Dec. 13).

Over the past several weeks, employees, customers and horsemen came together to donate toys for children in need associated with SBH Systems. The drive saw an outpouring of support, with toys collected as well as a $10,000 donation from the Meadowlands Amateur Driving Club.

The Marines and Enunwa personally delivered the toys to children at SBH, a safety net hospital in the Bronx, NYC, on Tuesday (Dec. 17).

“We are overwhelmed with the response to this year’s Toys for Tots collection drive,” said Settlemoir.  “The holiday season is all about family and helping others that are less fortunate. We all at The Meadowlands are overjoyed that our donations help make this magical holiday season a little brighter for families in need at SBH Health Systems in the Bronx.”

MUCH APPRECIATED: On Saturday, Dec. 28, head to The Meadowlands for Fan Appreciation Night.

“We’d like to thank our fans for a fantastic year,” said Settlemoir. “And while we are extremely appreciative of our players who bet us on the various simulcast networks, we like letting our on-track faithful know that we love it when they are inside the building.”

There will be discounted concessions offered from 6-11 p.m. that night. For just $1 in the Cafe, one can purchase hot dogs, pretzels, popcorn and soda.

Bud and Bud Light draft, also available at the Café, will be just $2.

From The Meadowlands