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 Weekend 2011, The Meadowlands’ wagering menu offered only one bet with a low 15 per cent takeout. Over the course of those 23 races, total handle was $3,304,912, good for a per-race average of $143,691.
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). The first of 14 races at Churchill Downs has a post time of 10:30 a.m. The Derby, which is race 12 on the card, has a post time of 6:57 p.m.
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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 night saw a half-dozen public choices visit the winner’s circle. The Saturday night chalks did not make the average payouts of some of the more popular bets unappealing, however. The average win payout was $17.73 while the exactas averaged $114, trifectas $829 and Pick-3s $804. The biggest scores were to be made by hitting the 20-cent Survivor Pick-7 ($7,625) and 20-cent Pick-5 ($3,083).
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 the half-dozen popular wagers offered nightly that offer a low takeout of 15 per cent. A prime example is last weekend’s action in the extremely popular Pick-4, when the bet – which is offered four times every weekend – took in a total of $367,866 of action, an average per pool of $91,966.