Meadowlands: 'Prime Time Hi-5' added to race 7; Pick 6 carryover Friday

Effective this Friday (March 3), The Meadowlands will celebrate their own March Mania after an extremely memorable February with the addition of a second 10-cent Hi-5 to one of the most popular wagering menus in racing.

The mile oval will have 14-race programs this Friday and Saturday (March 4) that have a first-race post time of 6:20 p.m.

"Given the fact that we were only offering one Hi-5, or Pentafecta, if you prefer, per night, adding a second simply made a lot of sense, since a chunk of our players don't wait around for the last race," said track Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. "Now, they can get into a Hi-5 pool in both the seventh race as well as the last race of the night."

Last weekend (Feb. 24-25), over $65,000 was pushed through the windows on the Hi-5, and despite favorites winning both races, the payouts were $702.67 and $525.81 on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

The "Prime Time Hi-5" will be the seventh wager The Meadowlands offers nightly that has a low takeout of 15 percent. Each Hi-5 has a low 10-cent minimum wager.

The Big M offers the traditional non-jackpot Hi-5 wager in order to keep the actual takeout at a low 15 percent for the benefit of the horseplayer.

PICK-6 CARRYOVER: There were no winning tickets sold in the 20-cent Pick-6 last Saturday night, creating a carryover of $7,627 when the bet is next offered on Friday night's eighth race.

Since the carryover is not subject to the low 15 percent takeout, in the event there is $50,000 in "new money" wagered, players will be betting into a negative pool, where those who cash winning tickets will walk away with more than what was wagered.

IT'S LADIES' NIGHT: In observance of International Women's Day (which is March 8), The Meadowlands will have some special guests and special events this weekend.

On Friday, Ashley Mailloux, an expert handicapper and interviewer who knows both Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing, will be Dave Little's guest on the pregame show. Mailloux, who last appeared at The Big M in 2020, will talk about what she's been doing since her last appearance at the mile oval.

Mailloux will give out a Pick-6 ticket after the seventh race replay from the back paddock, from where she will be conducting interviews during the card.

Saturday night, there are 20 female drivers -- who will be split into two divisions -- competing in the second and fourth races on the card, while Mailloux and the track's Jessica Otten will be downstairs on-set all night long, beginning with the pregame show at 5:45 p.m. and continuing throughout the evening with race-by-race analysis and Pick-4 tickets.