East Rutherford, NJ – Friday night at The Meadowlands brings with it a ten race live harness racing card featuring the $52,500 final of the Shiaway St Pat series for trotters.
An interesting field it is, with the ultra impressive leg #1 winner Deep Impact getting a slight 3-1 nod from the oddsmaker after skipping last week's leg #2. The carefully managed 5-year-old rolled right on by the field in a career best 1:53.1 a fortnight ago, looking like there was plenty left in the tank. He'll begin from post 9 for trainer driver Ake Svanstedt and owner the Van Camp Trotting Corporation.
Deep Impact, however, is not in by himself and faces another fast, fresh horse in the speedy Sutton, leaving from post 7 for Andy Miller. After missing an entire season, Sutton disappointed as the heavy favorite in the first leg but redeemed himself with a scorching 1:51.3 last week and will have to be dealt with in the final. Julie Miller trains the accomplished 5-year-old for Andy's interest as Andy Miller Stable and partners Jason and Doug Allen.
We're giving away lawn mowers, too via the "Spring Spruce Up" promotion. The guarantees are in place and the Jackpot Super Hi-5 carry over is way up to $192,943. Get your free pp's for selected wagers here. Post time is 7:15 pm.
BIG M HIGH-FIVE CARRYOVER NEARING $200,000
Meadowlands players will have an opportunity Friday night unlike any other in harness racing: Wager a measly 20 cents and walk away at the conclusion of the 10th race with almost $200,000.
“When live racing resumes this Friday,” said Jason Settlemoir, the Big M’s chief operating officer and general manager. “The Meadowlands will offer the second-largest carryover in horse racing, behind only the Rainbow Six at Gulfstream Park. The final race on the program will offer a Jackpot Super High-Five carryover that has now grown to $192,943. The popular wager has a 20-cent minimum.”
“April has been a very good month at the Big M as the pools continue to grow,” said Settlemoir. “The competitive GSY Spring Fling Series amateur driving club trot was the first race of last weekend and handled $241,407. We never looked back. Our Pick-4 pool exceeded the $100,000 barrier for the third time this year ($105,082) and our average handle per race for the week was $226,917, compared to $188,099 for the comparable weekend a year ago. In addition, our 20-Cent Survivor Pick-10 pool was an all-time best $25,061. We can’t thank our fans enough for their incredibly loyal support.”
Free program pages are available here.
Live racing at the Big M is this Friday and Saturday. Post time is 7:15 p.m.
MEADOWLANDS HAPPENINGS
PARKING DURING VOLTA: Those heading to the Big M for live racing need to be aware of what to do when they arrive at the track to avoid a $20 parking fee, which is for those attending the Cirque Du Soleil Volta show. Volta will have performances on the same nights as live racing through Saturday, May 5.
When track patrons arrive, they should stay to the right-hand side of the toll plaza to avoid the $20 fee.
OWN A HORSE! The Big M’s popular “Own a Horse” promotion offers fans a chance to own a piece of a Standardbred risk free. Sign up on or before Saturday, April 28, and if you are one of 10 lucky contestants chosen during live racing that night, you’ll get a chance to own up to 10 percent of a Big M horse’s earnings during the month of May.
CALLING ALL HANDICAPPERS: The World Harness Handicapping Championship, presented by DerbyWars.com, is scheduled for Saturday, April 28 at the Meadowlands and has a guaranteed prize pool of $75,000.
The WHHC is a one-day tournament and has a welcome reception the evening prior. Players that did not earn a seat through a qualifying event can directly buy-in for $1,000. The WHHC contest format requires players to bet 10 races: their choice of seven Meadowlands races, plus three designated mandatory races from Buffalo, Vernon Downs and the Meadowlands. Players keep all pari-mutuel winnings. Prize payouts go to the top 10 finishers.
Players interested in purchasing a buy-in for the WHHC can visit http://playmeadowlands.
‘SURVIVE’ THE SUMMER: The Meadowlands’ Summer Survival Challenge kicks off on Friday, May 4, with registration scheduled to begin next week.
Contestants will need to pick a winner in one of three selected races in a given week to advance and the player at the end of the contest with the largest mythical bankroll will win a grand prize of $1,500 and a spot in the 2019 WHHC final.
DERBY COUNTDOWN: The 144th Kentucky Derby from Churchill Downs is the main simulcast attraction at the Big M on Saturday, May 5. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. Post time for the Derby is 6:34 p.m.
BEER HERE: The third annual Spring Beer Fest takes places on Saturday, May 19. The beer will be poured until 9:30 p.m. with VIPs welcome to arrive at 4:30 p.m. and those with general admission at 5:30 p.m. Those taking part will be treated to the best craft beer, cider, music, live harness racing and food the state of New Jersey has to offer.
To purchase tickets click here.
Meadowlands Media Relations
Dave Little