Meadowlands: Big M handle tops $3 million per card again

It was another banner year from a business perspective at The Meadowlands, as for the third time in the last four years, average daily wagering at the industry’s handle leader topped $3 million.

“It’s our goal to wager $3 million on any given card,” said track Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “Whether it’s Meadowlands Pace Night or an ordinary winter Saturday night, that’s the bar we always try to clear, and we were fortunate enough to do that a majority of the time during 2024.”

Over the course of the year, betting bettered the $3-million mark on 46 occasions at the mile oval, meaning wagering exceeded that lofty plateau 52 percent of the time.

After $2,894,453 was wagered on Saturday’s (Dec. 28) 14-race card, action for the 88 programs contested during 2024 totaled $264,427,375, an average per card of $3,004,856.

Many of harness racing’s biggest programs during the course of any year take place at The Meadowlands, and, not surprisingly, the biggest day on the harness racing calendar resulted in its biggest day at the windows, as an industry-best $7.4 million was put in play on Hambletonian Day five months ago.

These are the top five handles on a single card during 2024 at The Meadowlands:

1. $7,427,223 (Aug. 3, Hambletonian Day)

2. $5,136,129 (July 13, Meadowlands Pace Night)

3. $4,356,475 (Oct. 26, Breeders Crown Finals – Night II)

4. $3,870,638 (May 4, Kentucky Derby Day)

5. $3,779,096 (Jan. 27)

Breeders Crown weekend (Oct. 25-26) was a record-setter. Since the four races on Friday and eight on Saturday format went into existence, The Meadowlands total handle of $7,372,478 in 2021 had stood as the standard.

But this year, when you add Friday’s (Breeders Crown Finals – Night I) total of $3,369,424 to Saturday’s action, you get the new mark of $7,725,899.

2024 BY THE NUMBERS: Dave Miller was the leading driver at The Big M during 2024 with 106 wins. He was followed by Dexter Dunn (98), Todd McCarthy (86), Andy McCarthy (82) and Yannick Gingras (78).

With a record six Breeders Crown wins and five more scores on Fall Final Four/FanDuel Championships Night, it’s no surprise that Dunn was the leading money-earning driver with $5.9 million.

Ron Burke was the leading trainer with 60 victories. He was followed by Nancy Takter (46), Jeff Cullipher (40), Ake Svanstedt (35) and Per Engblom (33).

Svanstedt led in money-earnings with $3.568 million, slightly more than runner-up Burke, who accrued $3.560 million.

Post-position five once again was the best starting berth at The Big M, winning 15.3 percent of the time. Next was post six (14.7), post seven (11.9), post one (11.6) and post three (11.3).

THE SCHEDULE: During the month of January, live racing will be conducted every Friday and Saturday with a first-race post-time of 6:20 p.m.

SHARPEN YOUR PENCILS: Come on out to the track on Friday, Jan. 17, for the first of what will be a monthly handicapping contest with a prize pool of $1,000. Contestants must be on-site to participate and the top two finishers earn a spot in a $10,000 invitation-only handicapping contest that takes place in December. For complete information, and to enter, go here.

CIRCLE THE DATE: One of The Big M’s most popular giveaways takes place on Saturday, Jan. 18, with the track’s 2025 Calendar Giveaway, which is chock full of photos commemorating highlights of the 2024 season. Starting at 6 p.m., the first 1,000 guests will receive a calendar. One per person, please.

-edited release (Meadowlands Media Relations)