Page 11 - Jason Settlemoir News Today

The United States Harness Writers Association Hall of Fame Screening Committee is proud to announce an outstanding slate of candidates for induction into the 2022 Harness Racing Hall of Fame. Trainers Ron Burke and George Teague, Jr., along with driver Yannick Gingras, have been placed on the Hall of Fame ballot for this summer’s election. This trio was then given a unanimous thumbs-up by four Hall of Fame trustees, who are all members of the Hall of Fame, to finalize the process. As well, th...

Saturday (May 1) night’s handle at The Meadowlands was a sensational $4,451,363, to come within $100,000 of the track’s biggest night of action during 2021. It’s not a coincidence that the big action occurred on Kentucky Derby Day, which, for many fans, is their favourite day of the year to come out and play. Betting at The Big M was huge by a historical perspective not only last Saturday, but all of last weekend, when one compares the numbers to 10 years prior. During Kentucky Derby Week...

The Meadowlands will be the place for lovers of both harness and Thoroughbred action this weekend as 26 live harness races will be offered along with “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports”, the 147th running of The Kentucky Derby, where fans can watch and wager on the “Run for the Roses” in one of the most impressive simulcast facilities anywhere, at The Big M. For those who want to get an early start on Derby Day, gates at The Meadowlands will open at 9 a.m. Saturday morning (May 1)...

All-source wagering totalled $3,237,137 on Friday – the biggest Friday of business this year – followed by a Saturday that saw $3,782,327 of action, for a total of $7,019,464. There have been 29 programs conducted in 2021, and 20 of them have seen betting of at least $3 million. During all of 2020, the $3-million plateau was reached a total of 11 times. Whether the winners paid big or small, the betting remained prolific. On Friday, there were but two winning favourites, while the next nigh...

The topics discussed ranged from driver decorum to the application of racing strategy and public perception. The primary focus of todays exchange were a few issues that have become the culture of Meadowlands racing, specifically first turn "courtesy tucks", the lack of movement in the middle quarters of the race due to drivers riding "half out" and moving off the pylons as the horses enter the stretch, allowing a horse to pass inside. The horseplayers made known their frustration with the outco...

Business at The Meadowlands continued its remarkable run through the early early stages of 2021, as after a highly-successful first quarter, action at the mile oval stayed vigorous as the second quarter kicked off last weekend with a pair of $3 million handles, upping the total number of race cards that have surpassed that magic number to 18 on the year. During all of 2020, the $3 million barrier was broken a total of 11 times. Much of the success The Big M has experienced can be attributed to ...

Why is The Meadowlands the industry’s handle leader? There are many factors that make the mile oval the most prolific in terms of average wagering per card in the game, with large field size and small takeouts on popular bets being the most influential. But it is not only big bettors that fuel the bustling betting, but small players also have a sizeable say in making the Big M what it is, as they are able to get a lot of action for not a lot of money if they team up with other players to take...

Meadowlands Shifting Post Time To 6:20 P.M., Effective March 19 Sponsored by: Management at Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment announced Wednesday morning that post time will move to 6:20 p.m., effective Friday, March 19. “This is in response to our fans who want to bet our entire card but appreciate getting home a little bit earlier,” said Big M Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir of the track shifting post time 20 minutes later than what has been the nor...

Despite a month of crippling winter weather and the re-opening of racing in Ontario two weeks ago, betting at The Meadowlands has stayed on a roll. In fact, on Friday (March 5) night, management is hoping to up the track’s streak of wagering at least $3 million to an impressive 10th consecutive program. “We say it often,” said Big M Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “But horseplayers have really responded in a big way to our low takeout wagering menu. With si...

The United States Harness Writers Association (USHWA), harness racing’s leading group of industry communicators, held its annual Directors and Membership meetings on Feb. 20 and 21 virtually using the Zoom technology, as the group’s annual “weekend” including these meetings and culminating in the Dan Patch Awards banquet had to be cancelled due to the health pandemic. Dan Patch award winners were honoured through a virtual “Dan Patch Awards” program before a Saturday night card at T...