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BIG NIGHTS AT BIG M CONTINUE AS WINTER DRAWS NEAR

Thursday, November 7, 2024

While it’s true the Breeders Crown is now in the rearview mirror, the 2024 stakes action is anything but concluded at The Meadowlands, as just two weeks after hosting the 12 Crown events, The Big M is back this Saturday (Nov. 9) with four Kindergarten Classic finals for 2-year-olds of each sex and gait for purses totaling $730,200.

Beyond that, the mile oval will then have one more monster night at the races before settling in for five months of winter action, when Fall Final Four/FanDuel Championships Night takes place on Saturday, Nov. 30.

“We are in the midst of a great run here at The Meadowlands,” said track Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “We came back from our five-week layoff with two weeks of Breeders Crown action, then, last week and this, the Kindergarten, and then, we’ll dole out over $2.5 million in purses on Fall Final Four/FanDuel Championships Night three weeks from Saturday. It is a great time for all harness fans to be watching and wagering on our races, as many of them will determine divisional honors.”

SUPERSTAR ON STAGE: While there are many talented colts and fillies racing Saturday, one mega-star will be making his final start of the season in the Kindergarten colts and geldings trot.

Maryland is the third-ranked horse in the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown Standardbred Top 10 Poll, behind only Horse of the Year favorite Twin B Joe Fresh and the generational talent Jiggy Jog S, who retired earlier this year due to injury after winning all six of her seasonal outings.

A son of Chapter Seven-Crucial, Maryland is the top money-earning horse in the sport this year with a bankroll of $1.145 million. He’s won five of eight starts this season, with four of those wins coming in the division’s biggest dashes: the Breeders Crown, Mohawk Million, Peter Haughton and William Wellwood.

Owned by Courant Inc, PCW Racing LLC, Holly Lane Stud East LTD and S. Stewart/R. Thorn Stable, Maryland, the early favorite for the 2025 Hambletonian, is trained by Marcus Melander and has been driven in all of his starts this year by Dexter Dunn.

THE FIELDS: These are the fields for the four Kindergarten Classic finals for 2-year-olds that take place Saturday (Nov. 9) at The Meadowlands, with post position, horse, driver, trainer and morning-line odds (including late driver changes):

RACE 6 – FILLY TROT – $243,400

PP – HORSE – DRIVER – TRAINER – ODDS

1 – R Dutchess – Jody Jamieson – John Butenschoen – 9-2

2 – Sonmar Pond – Yannick Gingras – Domenico Cecere – 8-1

3 – Global Heritage – Andrew McCarthy – Domenico Cecere – 10-1

4 – Voguish – Todd McCarthy – Andrew Harris – 7-2

5 – Margareta Hanover – Mattias Melander – Marcus Melander – 10-1

6 – Myonlylove – Dave Miller – Linda Toscano – 10-1

7 – Jersey Slide – Tim Tetrick – Jim Campbell – 15-1

8 – Champagne Problems – Dexter Dunn – Nancy Takter – 3-5

9 – My Honor – Ake Svanstedt – Ake Svanstedt – 12-1

10 – R Charm – Scott Zeron – Linda Toscano – 15-1

AE1 – Soulsistrgenius NO – Philip Scott Sonsteby – Philip Scott Sonsteby –

RACE 7 – FILLY PACE – $165,000

PP – HORSE – DRIVER – TRAINER – ODDS

1 – Youllfindout – George Brennan – Nik Drennan – 15-1

2 – Duration – Todd McCarthy – Tony Alagna – 7-2

3 – Chakra – Anibal Borjas – Tony Alagna – 12-1

4 – Champagne Room – Andrew McCarthy – Noel Daley – 5-2

5 – Shes A Streaker – Yannick Gingras – Ron Burke – 10-1

6 – Rodeo Drive Deo – Dave Miller – Ron Burke – 2-1

7 – Simply Perfect – Dexter Dunn – Tony Alagna – 8-1

8 – Ronstadt – Scott Zeron – Tony Alagna – 15-1

RACE 8 – COLT & GELDING TROT – $173,300

PP – HORSE – DRIVER – TRAINER – ODDS

1 – Frank Leahy – Andrew McCarthy – Ron Burke – 15-1

2 – Maryland – Dexter Dunn – Marcus Melander – 3-5

3 – Monserrate – Dave Miller – Andrew Harris – 7-2

4 – Cheers Hanover – Yannick Gingras – Ron Burke – 10-1

5 – Durante Hanover – Todd McCarthy – Jim Oscarsson – 10-1

6 – Portobarosso As NL – Andy Miller – Julie Miller – 8-1

7 – Gap Kronos S – Ake Svanstedt – Ake Svanstedt – 6-1

8 – Safe Talk – Tim Tetrick – Ron Burke – 15-1

9 – Uno – Anibal Borjas – Tony Alagna – 15-1

10 – Tactical Dynasty – Scott Zeron – Ron Burke – 12-1

AE1 – Yannick G Kemp – Scott Zeron – Nifty Norman –

AE2 – Net Weight – Johnathan Ahle – Noel Daley –

RACE 10 – COLT & GELDING PACE — $148,500

PP – HORSE – DRIVER – TRAINER – ODDS

1 – Attaboychet – Anibal Borjas – Tony Alagna – 10-1

2 – Tom Horn – Dave Miller – Ron Burke – 10-1

3 – Get Wings – Andrew McCarthy – Tony Alagna – 15-1

4 – Seaworthy Hanover – Dexter Dunn – Jake Leamon – 4-1

5 – Steamboat Springs – Yannick Gingras – Jennifer Bongiorno – 10-1

6 – Papis Pistol – Andy Miller – Sam De Pinto – 8-5

7 – Furneaux – Patrick Ryder – Chris Ryder – 15-1

8 – Manolete – Scott Zeron – Bruce Saunders – 5-2

9 – World Beater – Todd McCarthy – Tony Alagna – 15-1

10 – Namaste Hanover – Corey Callahan – Christopher Choate – 12-1

AE1 – Luminary – Andrew McCarthy – Tony Alagna –

AE2 – Captain Optimistic – Dexter Dunn – Nancy Takter –

PICK-6 CARRYOVER: There were no winning tickets sold on the 20-cent Pick-6 last Saturday, creating a carryover of $7,689 for Friday’s program. These are the type of scenarios multi-leg players love. In the event $40,000 of “new money” is bet into the pool, only that portion of the total pot would be subject to the already low 15 percent takeout.

Thus, if $40,000 is the number, the total pool would be just over $41,000, precisely $1,000 more than what was wagered, creating a “negative takeout”, where winning tickets will pay out more money than what was wagered.

The Pick-6 is offered on races eight through 13 nightly.

THINK BIG, TAKEOUT SMALL: Here is a look at what bettors can expect night in and night out when playing the popular multi-leg wagers The Meadowlands offers for the foreseeable future. These wagers sport a low 15 percent takeout:

20-cent Pick-5: Race 1-5
20-cent Survivor Pick-7: Races 3-9
50-cent Pick-4: Races 6-9 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
20-cent Pick-6: Races 8-13
50-cent Pick 4: Races 10-13 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
10-cent Pentafecta (Hi-5): Race 14

THE SKED: Racing continues at The Meadowlands every Friday and Saturday. Post time for the first race is 6:20 p.m., but before that, check out the live pregame show with news, notes and selections from the Sam McKee Memorial Broadcast Set at 5:45 p.m.

This weekend, The Big M’s “A”-team of Jessica Otten and Dave Little will reunite with Otten having completed her run on Fox Sports. Joining the team, providing interviews from the back paddock, will be John Rallis, the track’s morning-line oddsmaker and program analyst.

WATCH IT: The Meadowlands is not only the most popular nighttime signal in harness racing, but in all of horse racing, regardless of breed.

For those who want to watch and wager on Big M dashes, it’s hard to imagine their local simulcast or Off-Track Betting venue wouldn’t offer it. But in case they don’t or you’d rather stay at home, check out your favorite ADW (advance deposit wagering site), such as racing.fanduel.com. Another way to view the action is to go to the Roberts Television Network (rtn.tv) site.

GENTLE GIANTS ON PARADE: Racing fans got a big-time treat from some big horses as the Budweiser Clydesdales visited The Big M last Friday.

Fans could not only watch the magnificent horses on the track in formation, but also received some close-up time in a meet and greet early in the night.

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

Go to playmeadowlands.com to get the past performances at absolutely no cost.

“X” MARKS THE SPOT: Everything Meadowlands is available by going on X (formerly known as Twitter). 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 team of Otten (@JessicaOtten1), Little (@DaveLittleBigM), Ken Warkentin (@kenvoiceover) and Rallis (@john_rallis).

ONE MORE HUGE NIGHT: The Meadowlands is known for its big-event days, and with the Breeders Crown added to the mix this year, The Big M has already played host to Meadowlands Pace Night, Hambletonian Day and the Crown.

The last of the “Fab 2024” takes place on Saturday, Nov. 30, on Fall Final Four/FanDuel Championships Night.

Here are the eight major events that will take place that evening (with estimated purses that total $2.65 million):

$400,000 Governor’s Cup (2YOC&GP)
$400,000 Three Diamonds (2YOFP)
$400,000 Valley Victory (2YOC&GT)
$400,000 Goldsmith Maid (2YOFT)
$350,000 FanDuel Open Pace
$350,000 FanDuel Open Trot
$175,000 FanDuel Open Mare Pace
$175,000 FanDuel Open Mare Trot

WIN BIG: That evening, enter for a chance to win a $500 win wager on each of the eight major events taking place that night.

WHO YOU CALLING AN AMATUER? The Meadowlands Amateur Driving Club (MADC) events continue to offer large, competitive fields and big pools. Ten-horse fields bring the bettors to The Big M to play.

There will be a half-dozen MADC dashes offered this weekend, with four on Friday and two more on Saturday.

Here are three big reasons why Meadowlands players like the MADC dashes (numbers are from Nov. 1-2):

Average field size: 9.8 horses
Average win price: $10.60
Average per race handle: $250,750

For some perspective, on a 14-race card where the average per race is $250,750, total handle for the night would be $3.51 million.

FOOTBALL IN FANDUEL: In addition to the best harness racing, The Meadowlands also offers the best in sports betting, which means, of course, just three letters.

NFL.

Fans know they can watch and wager on all of the NFL action in comfort with plenty of great food options inside the grandstand at The Big M in the FanDuel Sportsbook, the No. 1 facility of its type in North America.

On Thursday (Nov. 7) night, the Baltimore Ravens will entertain the Cincinnati Bengals in an 8:15 p.m. kickoff.

The Ravens are a 5½-point favorite (-270 on the money line) in the game that has an under/over of 52½ points.

How about a prop bet? The under/over for Lamar Jackson passing yards is 232½, and whichever way you want to go, the price is -110.

Giants’ fans will have to get up early on Sunday (Nov. 10), when Big Blue is in Germany taking on the Carolina Panthers in a 9:30 a.m. start.

The Giants are -6½ (-270 on the money line) in the game that has an under/over of 40½.

The Jets travel to Arizona for a 4:25 p.m. game with the Cardinals. New York is a slight 1½-point favorite (-120 on the money line) in the game that has an under/over of 46½.

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

The FanDuel Sportsbook is open Monday-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.; Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m.-11 p.m.