Race caller Larry Lederman and professional football player Quincy Enunwa will be visiting the Meadowlands Racetrack this weekend.
Lederman will be doing what he does best, while Enunwa will be spreading Christmas cheer to children who could really use some.
Lederman is second in the ‘batting order’ tonight (Dec. 12), as the second season of ‘Borrow Ken’s Binoculars’ continues. The initiative brings in guest announcers to call the Meadowlands’ Thursday night December race cards while regular voice Ken Warkentin steps aside. A week ago, Pete Kleinhans was on the microphone, while the last two weeks of the month will feature the USTA’s Michael Carter (on Dec. 19) and the ‘Big M’s own Dave Little (Dec. 26).
“So many of our regular customers are Larry Lederman fans,” said track COO/GM Jason Settlemoir. “And so are all of us at the Meadowlands. Larry has always been one of the best announcers around and it’s great to hear his unique calls at the Big M.”
Enunwa, the New York Jets wide receiver, will be at the track on Saturday (Dec. 14) night and visitors are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy for the Big M’s annual toy drive. Enunwa and the U.S. Marine Corps will be collecting for the annual ‘Toys for Tots’ drive from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. All collected toys will be donated to Harlem Grown, helping make the holiday season brighter for area children.
FOX5 sportscaster Tina Cervasio will serve as master of ceremonies for the event and fans who bring a toy for the drive will be able to take a selfie with Enunwa.
“This is my favourite time of the year,” said Settlemoir. “The toy drive is near and dear to my heart. It feels great to be able to give back to those in need, especially during the holiday season.”
HOT STARTS: Last weekend (Dec. 5-7) saw a handful of drivers get off to a quick start for the final month of 2019, during which there will be 12 race cards. Through the first three cards of December, David Miller and Tim Tetrick top the driver colony with six wins apiece, with Dexter Dunn and Yannick Gingras in hot pursuit with five victories each.
Richard Johnson has three wins to lead all trainers in December, while Trish Adams, Jeff Cullipher, Harry Landy and Nick Surick all have two apiece.
DECEMBER SCHEDULE CONTINUES: During the month of December, live racing at the Meadowlands will be conducted on a three day a week basis, Thursday-Saturday. Post time is 7:15 p.m.
HIT BIG WITH FREE PPs: The 50-cent Pick-4 is one of the more popular wagers at the Big M, and players can get the past performances for free.
Program pages are available for the bet – which sports a $50,000 guaranteed pool on Fridays and Saturdays and a low 15 per cent takeout always – at playmeadowlands.com and ustrotting.com. Last weekend’s pools were solid, as $75,915 and $86,478 were wagered on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
Twenty-cent Jackpot Super High-Five players are no doubt looking forward to Thursday’s 10th race, which will offer a $47,222 carryover on the bet that requires one to have the only winning ticket to rake the pot.
BET WITH BROWER: For help with every race on all Big M cards, be sure to check out Big M morning-line oddsmaker Dave Brower’s analysis on the Meadowlands website (playmeadowlands.com). Click on the ‘handicapping’ tab, then ‘race reviews.’
MEADOWLANDS HOLIDAY SCHEDULE: Here is the holiday operating schedule for simulcasting at the Big M:
· December 15: Closed
· December 22: Closed
· Christmas Eve: Closed
· Christmas Day: Closed
· December 29: Closed
· New Year’s Eve: 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
For more information, head to playmeadowlands.com.
(With files from the Meadowlands Racetrack)