ANOTHER FABULOUS FRIDAY ON TAP AT BIG M

Thursday, June 19, 2025


This Friday (June 20) night at The Meadowlands is one for the bettors, as a monster 20-cent Pick-5 pool – the result of a Saturday night carryover – as well as the sixth edition of the track’s Monthly Handicapping Challenge will get the weekend off to a rollicking start.

The Pick-5 pool has the potential to be enormous.

The only other time there has been a carryover in the Pick-5 during 2025, a total of $183,943 of “new money” was poured into the pot on Jan. 25 chasing a carryover of $28,744 for a grand total of $212,687.

That night, the Pick-5 saw a sequence where the winner’s odds were 6-1, 17-1, 3-2, 13-1 and 1-5, with winning tickets being exchanged for $2,787.26.

“The low minimum bet of 20 cents allows players to spread their tickets, so quite a few of our players had that last carryover Pick-5,” said Big M Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “When you have a carryover situation like this, where the pool figures to be in the $200,000 range, all of our players get excited. And since the Pick-5 begins with race one, it engages all of our players from the start of the card and should create some good action on our 50-cent Pick-4s, which begin in races six and 10, respectively.”

The Pick-5 carryover heading into Friday night is $22,989.

The carryover was set up by three bombs that went off at the start of the card on June 14. Races one through three were taken by 10-1, 70-1 and 19-1 shots, respectively, meaning that even after the sequence concluded with a 9-5 and a 7-2, a sizable carryover was assured.

The 20-cent Pick-5 is offered nightly on races one through five.

GET YOUR PENCILS READY: The sixth edition of the 2025 Meadowlands Monthly Handicapping Contest takes place on Friday (June 20), and offers players a chance to win a share of $1,000 in prize money.

Contest format:

  • Contestants must be on-site to participate
  • Contestants must buy a $100 betting card to participate
  • Contestants must bet a minimum of five Meadowlands races
  • There is no minimum or maximum bet per race
  • Contestants can play any wager(s) on The Meadowlands live wagering menu
  • Contestants keep all pari-mutuel winnings
  • Contestants can enter as many times as they wish
  • The top two finishers earn spots in the $10,000 end-of-the-year contest

Remaining contest schedule:

  • Friday, June 20
  • Friday, July 18
  • Saturday, August 30
  • Saturday, October 25
  • Friday, November 21
  • The $10,000 invitation-only final is on Saturday, December 13

Previous players that have qualified for the December contest are Nick Montemurro and Gary Scogna (the top two finishers from January); Michael Grasso and Montemurro (February); Sean Loebs and Joe Barre (March); Robert Glaser and Jim Bohnarczyk (April); and Karen Fossli and Russ Slader (May).

Complete contest rules and regulations can be found here.

To participate, players must be 18 years of age or older to wager on racing. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, please get help at 1-800-GAMBLER.

SATURDAY NIGHT’S ALRIGHT: Yes, Friday will be great, but Saturday is going to be stacked with star performers on the track.

Smooth Dream will look to stay perfect in seven seasonal tries in the $48,000 New Jersey Standardbred Development Fund final for 3-year-old colt and gelding pacers. The son of Cattlewash-Dreamlands Latte, the only horse at The Big M during 2025 to win six consecutive races at the mile oval, won the New Jersey Sire Stakes final on May 24.

There are also a pair of $75,000, leg three Graduate Series dashes for 4-year-olds, one on the trot and another on the pace.

The trot features Sir Pinocchio, 14 wins from just 29 lifetime starts to go along with a bankroll of almost $750,000, and Private Access, a lifetime earner of over $400,000. Both off victories in leg two last week at The Big M.

Captain Albano, the 3-year-old Dan Patch divisional champion of the year from 2024, tops the pacing split. The Noel Daley trainee was a winner in leg two a week ago, stopping the clock in 1:49.2 in his first outing of the season. Staying perfect in two starts won’t be easy, as the son of Captaintreacherous-Angelou has drawn post 10.

BABIES A DAY EARLIER: The Meadowlands’ qualifiers/baby races will be raced on Friday (June 20) this week instead of the usual Saturday.

Post time will be 9 a.m., and if you can’t make it out to the track, check out the action live at playmeadowlands.com.

THEY ARE FA-REEE! To show appreciation to its loyal fan base, The Meadowlands offers free program pages for every race of every race card on its website.

Go to playmeadowlands.com, then click on the “news” dropdown to get the past performances at absolutely no cost.

WHEN IS LIVE RACING? During the month of June, live racing at The Big M will be conducted every Friday and Saturday with a first-race post-time of 6:20 p.m.

CIRCLE THE DATES: The two biggest dates on the calendar at The Meadowlands feature two of the biggest stakes events the game offers.

In just three weeks, on Saturday, July 12, the $700,000 (est.) Meadowlands Pace will take center stage on a power-packed card that gets underway at 6:20 p.m.

Three weeks after that, “America’s Trotting Classic” will be in the spotlight celebrating an historic anniversary.

On Saturday, Aug. 2, the 100th edition of the $1-million Hambletonian will highlight the strongest program of the year in the sport. The only card during the season that takes place during the day, post time on Hambo Day is noon.

WHAT’S GOING ON? Check out the live “Racing from The Meadowlands” pregame show every Friday and Saturday when track announcer Ken Warkentin opens up the mic with a scene set and program changes at 5:45 p.m.

At that point, Warkentin will then throw to the Sam McKee Memorial Broadcast Set, from where The Big M’s Dave Little and Jessica Otten will provide news, notes, selections and a look at the night’s featured races.

Joe Romanelli, the former track announcer at Freehold Raceway and the current voice of the qualifiers and baby races at The Big M, will be handling interviews from the back paddock as well as providing commentary and selections on the FanDuel Television (FDTV) feed.

CATCH THAT FOX: For a fifth consecutive year, the TV teams at the New York Racing Association (NYRA) and The Meadowlands are combining forces to bring high-caliber harness racing stakes events to a national television audience over the networks of FOX Sports as part of NYRA’s “America’s Day at the Races” telecasts.

Here is the schedule for the remaining FOX Sports shows, with the event(s) that will be featured and the time the show will be broadcast. Which FOX network the show can be found on – Fox 5 New York (locally), FS1 or FS2 – will be determined:

  • June 28 – Perfect Sting, Brower Memorial, Crawford Farms, Six Pack, 8-11 p.m., TBA
  • July 5 – Stan Bergstein Graduate finals; Meadowlands Pace eliminations, 8-11 p.m., TBA
  • July 12 – Meadowlands Pace Night (multiple stakes), 8-11 p.m., TBA
  • August 2 – Hambletonian Day (multiple stakes), 1-7 p.m., TBA
  • September 5 – New Jersey Classic Series finals, 8-11 p.m., TBA
  • November 1 – Kindergarten finals, 8-11 p.m., TBA
  • November 15 – Fall Final Four, 8-11 p.m., TBA

PLAY HORSEPLAY, WIN A CAR: The extremely popular Horseplay Car Giveaway has returned.

When there is live racing, fans can get involved by picking up a free toy horse to toss. Participants attempt to throw their numbered horse into the window of a moving car. A winner, randomly chosen from all the horses that make it into the vehicle, will receive a $100 betting voucher. The 27 winners will be entered into the Horseplay final drawing on Friday, Aug. 1, for a chance to win a 2025 Toyota GR86.

A GREAT WAY TO PLAY: Every night, The Meadowlands offers a marvelous menu of popular wagers that offer a low 15 percent takeout.

They are:

  • 20-cent Pick-5: Races 1-5
  • 20-cent Survivor Pick-7: Races 3-9 (mandatory payout nightly)
  • Early 50-cent Pick-4: Races 6-9 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
  • 20-cent Pick-6: Races 8-13
  • Late 50-cent Pick 4: Races 10-13 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
  • 10-cent non-jackpot Pentafecta (Hi-5): Race 14

SOCIALLY SUPERIOR: Everything Meadowlands is available by going on X. You can check in with the Big M team for early changes, racing information and staff selections by going to @themeadowlands or #playbigm.

Stay in touch with The Big M talent trio of Otten (@JessicaOtten1), Little (@DaveLittleBigM) and Warkentin (@kenvoiceover).

A GREAT NIGHT OUT: Looking to book a corporate event or private party?  The Meadowlands has unlimited event possibilities. The redesigned Gallery with multiple TVs, private bar and balcony overlooking the FanDuel Sportsbook is perfect for game days, watch parties and more.

To book your private party, email alokshin@playmeadowlands.com.

FANDUEL IS NO. 1: Meadowlands regulars know that if they want action on professional and college sports, all they have to do is head for the FanDuel Sportsbook, which is the No. 1 facility of its kind in all of North America.

It couldn’t be easier to access, as it’s located inside the grandstand at The Big M.

The book has massive TV screens and self-service betting terminals, which enable fans to watch and wager in comfort while having some great food and drink.

Game 6 of the NBA Finals will be the marquee event on Thursday (June 19) as the Oklahoma City Thunder, with a three-games-to-two lead in the best-of-seven series, look to close out the Indiana Pacers.

Tip-off is at 8:30 p.m., and the Thunder are a 6½-point favorite in the game that has an under/over of 222 points.

On the money line, the Thunder is -235 and the Pacers are +194.

Whatever the sport, for the latest odds, go here.

The FanDuel Sportsbook is open for business Monday through Friday 10 a.m. – 1 a.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. – 1 a.m.; and Sunday 8 a.m. – midnight.