Meadowlands: Big carryovers on tap for Friday

The first full weekend of racing since Hambletonian week saw plenty of action on a pair of popular multi-leg wagers last Friday and Saturday (Sept. 11-12), the result of sizable carryovers, and racing fans will have similar opportunities on a pair of prominent puzzles this week when racing resumes Friday (Sept. 18) at 7:15 p.m.

Last Saturday (Sept. 12), driver Pat Berry, aka "The Blueberry Bomber", lit up the board with Harambe Deo in the 10th race at odds of 33-1, which served as the reason that the 20-cent Late Pick-5 and 50-cent Late Pick-4 failed to yield a winning ticket. As a result, both wagers will have sizable carryovers to titillate the palates of those who sample the Big M's betting menu this Friday.

A week ago, the Early 20-cent Pick-5 had a carryover heading into Saturday's card, and after $151,228 in "new money" was poured into the pot, the total wager was just over $188,000. Those who correctly selected five winners (there was a 6-5 shot and a 4-5 during the sequence) cashed in for $271.46.

The 20-cent Pick-6 saw almost $14,000 in new action, which ran the total pool to $20,760. Players with winning tickets were singing the praises of trainer-driver Eric Abbatiello, whose superb handling with Like Clockwork led to a score at odds of 20-1 in the anchor leg (race eight). The payoff was $6,222.48.

This Friday, bettors will shoot first for the Late 20-cent Pick-5 (races nine through 13), which has a carryover of $21,811, before getting a rare opportunity by betting into a Late 50-cent Pick-4 with a carryover, which stands at $38,390.

Friday will mark the first time in 2020 that a Pick-4 (races 10 through 13) has had a carryover, thus, it is likely that this will be the biggest pool of the year. On Meadowlands Pace Night (July 18), a total of $191,288 was pushed through the P4 windows for the high-water mark of 2020.

"Carryovers create added interest in our already popular multi-leg bets, which always offer a low 15 percent takeout," said track Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. "At The Meadowlands, our fans can always shoot for a big score, and with low-minimum base wagers, players can bet a little and win a lot."