BIG M RACES TO BE SHOWN LIVE NATIONALLY ALL WEEKEND

Thursday, May 18, 2023

The Meadowlands’ partnership with the TV team at the New York Racing Association (NYRA) continues this weekend, and that’s a good thing for harness racing fans, as they’ll experience some double vision.

Instead of the usual just-Saturday-night coverage, “America’s Day at the Races” will be shown on both Friday (May 19) and Saturday (May 20) nights to a national television audience on either Fox Sports 1 (FS1) or Fox Sports 2 (FS2), and will feature the action from The Big M alongside a Thoroughbred track. On Friday, Churchill Downs will be on display, while on Saturday, Charles Town Races will be seen.

On Friday night, racing fans can watch the action on FS2 from 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m. before the broadcast switches over to FS1 from 8:30 p.m.-11 p.m.

Saturday’s broadcast is from 8 p.m.-11 p.m. on FS2. The $155,200 Arthur J. Cutler Memorial for the best free for all trotters in training is the marquee event at The Meadowlands, which will also have New Jersey Sire Stakes action for 3-year-old trotters. Big M TV’s Jessica Otten will provide the harness commentary both nights.

“It’s always an honor to share the stage with Churchill Downs on one of their rare Friday night programs,” said Meadowlands’ Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “The Friday dual simulcast comes on the heels of Churchill breaking the all-time betting record on Derby Day last Saturday.

“Being a part of America’s Day at the Races gives The Meadowlands and Standardbred racing an enormous opportunity to showcase our product to a very large new audience.”

The remaining schedule for when Meadowlands’ races will be shown on either FS1 or FS2 is as follows:

• Saturday, July 1 (9-11 p.m.; Crawford Farms and Six Pack FFA Trots, Dave Brower Memorial and Perfect Sting FFA Paces)
• Saturday, July 8 (9-11 p.m.; Meadowlands Pace eliminations, Graduate finals)
• Saturday, July 15 (10 p.m.-midnight; Meadowlands Pace, William Haughton Memorial, Hambletonian Maturity plus other stakes for total purses of $2.5 million)
• Saturday, Aug. 5 (1-5 p.m. and 6-7 p.m.; Hambletonian, Hambletonian Oaks plus other stakes for total purses of $3.5 million)
• Friday, Sept. 8 (9-11 p.m.; New Jersey Classic Series finals)

BLACK-EYED SUSAN FRIDAY: With the Preakness Stakes on tap for Saturday, that means the race’s sister event, the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes for fillies, will be contested the day before on Friday (May 19), and racing fans who want to watch and wager should head to The Big M’s expansive simulcast area to do just that.

Doors open at The Meadowlands at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, with the first of 14 races at Pimlico heading to the gate at 11:30 a.m.

The Black-Eyed Susan, which is race 13, has a post time of 5:44 p.m. Faiza is the 7-5 morning-line favorite for trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Flavien Prat.

PREAKNESS SATURDAY: Kentucky Derby winner Mage has the target on his back for Saturday’s 148^th running of the Preakness, which, of course, will be part of a dazzling array of simulcast options at The Big M.

Should Mage, the 8-5 morning-line favorite for trainer Gustavo Delgado Sr. and rider Javier Castellano, emerge victorious, he could head to the June 10^th Belmont Stakes with a shot at sweeping Thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown, precisely 50 years after the great Secretariat turned the trick in 1973.

The Preakness, which is race 13 on a 14-race Pimlico program, has a post time of 7:01 p.m. and will take place after the first two live events at The Meadowlands.

Doors at The Big M will open at 9:30 a.m. with the opener at Pimlico slated for 10:30 a.m.

SPORTSCASTERS’ DERBY: Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post and Keith Irizarry of MLB Network both came up winners in their first-ever trips around the track, as each won one of two divisions of the track’s “Sportscasters’ Derby”, which was contested last Friday (May 12).

While Cannizzaro and Irizarry got bragging rights among the eight broadcasters who participated in the event, the real winner was Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the charity for both winners, which received a total of $10,000 in donations, courtesy of The Big M.

THE RACES KEEP ON COMING: Live racing at The Meadowlands will take place every Friday and Saturday for the next 12 consecutive weeks. Post time is 6:20 p.m., except for the last day of the meeting, Hambletonian Day, Saturday, Aug. 5, when the first race heads to the gate at noon.

DON’T PAY: Free past performances for every race of every Meadowlands card are available by going to playmeadowlands.com.

THE SENSATIONAL SEVEN: These are the seven wagers The Big M offers nightly to the bettor that offer both a low minimum wager as well as a low 15 percent takeout. In addition, the two Pick-4s offer a guaranteed pool of $50,000.

The list:

• Race 1: 20-cent Pick-5
• Race 3: 20-cent Survivor Pick-7
• Race 6: Early 50-cent Pick-4 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
• Race 7: Early 10-cent Hi-5
• Race 8: 20-cent Pick-6
• Race 10: Late 50-cent Pick-4 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
• Race 13 or 14 (whichever is the finale): Late 10-cent Hi-5

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

On race nights, stay in touch with The Big M team of Otten (@JessicaOtten1), Dave Little (@DaveLittleBigM), Ken Warkentin (@kenvoiceover), Edison Hatter (@Edison_1999_) and Gabe Prewitt (@gabe_prewitt).

HATTER’S RACE REVIEWS: Race reviews and selections by The Meadowlands’ morning-line odds maker, program analyst and TV talent Hatter are available 48 hours before a given race card. To access this valuable information from one of the brightest young minds in the sport, simply go to playmeadowlands.com, go to the “handicapping” tab, then click “race reviews”.

HANDICAPPING FOR THE YOUNG: This Saturday (May 20), The Big M gives a chance to younger fans to come out and compete for $5,000 in prize money as they present a handicapping contest for those 30-years-old and younger.

For complete information, go to 30 & Under Handicapping Contest – Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment :: Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment (playmeadowlands.com)

EAT AT PATSY’S POP-UP: On Saturday (May 20), come to The Big M and feast!

Patsy’s NYC will take over the kitchen at the track and serve up some of the best Southern Italian dining anywhere.

The restaurant was the favorite of Frank Sinatra, so if “The Chairman of the Board” loved it, you are certain to as well.

The complete dinner costs just $69.95, and to make reservations, call 201-THE BIGM.

For complete information, and a complete listing of what’s on the menu, go to https://playmeadowlands.com/event/patsys-pop-up-takeover/

GET YOUR SPORTS ACTION: The No. 1 harness track in North America is also home to the No. 1 sports betting facility of its type as well, as located inside the grandstand at The Big M is the FanDuel Sportsbook.

For golf lovers, the 105^th PGA Championship got underway early on Thursday (May 18). As of 11 a.m., the favorite to win the tournament was Jon Rahm at +500, followed by Scottie Scheffler (+750), Rory McIlroy (+1400), and Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay (who were both +1800).

In baseball on Thursday, the New York Yankees are in Toronto for a 7:08 p.m. game with the Blue Jays. Toronto is -142 on the money line in the game that has an under/over of 9 runs. If you want to bet the Bronx Bombers, you can get a run-and-a-half at -166.

Finally, in the NBA Playoffs, the L.A. Lakers are in Denver for an 8:30 p.m. game with the Nuggets, who lead the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series one game to none.

The Nuggets are a 5½-point favorite who are -210 on the money line. The under/over is 226½.

Whatever the sport, for the latest odds, go to https://www.fanduel.com/sportsbook-meadowlands

The FanDuel Sportsbook is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-1 a.m.; Saturday 8 a.m.-1 a.m.; and Sunday 8 a.m.-midnight. For cash-at-counter customers, the hours are Monday through Friday 10 a.m.-11 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m.-11 p.m. The Lounge opens at noon on Sundays.