The best of the Super Bowl will be back Thursday night at the Meadowlands Racetrack. Their names may not be ‘Brady,’ ‘Bellichick’ or ‘Sherman,’ but the trotters headlining the Charles Singer Memorial trotting series are high on talent and could be on the road to even bigger things in the future.
The Singer will be contested in two divisions. The first division will feature a rematch of the Super Bowl champion, J L Cruze and his archrival, Opulent Yankee, who chased his nemesis through the stretch of the Super Bowl final just two weeks ago.
JL Cruze has won three of four starts since arriving from the mid-Atlantic for Eric Ell, including the Super Bowl, and has been installed as the 6-5 morning line favourite for his Singer division. Opulent Yankee, the Super Bowl runner-up and winner of two of his last three starts, will begin as the 8-5 second choice. Through the Super Bowl final, JL Cruze holds a two-to-one edge against Opulent Yankee in head-to-head matchups. The first division will go postward as Race 2 on the Thursday program, making it a part of the 50-cent Pick 5. The average pool for the Meadowlands’ 15 per cent takeout Pick 5 this winter has been at an all-time high, standing at $53,764.
The second division of the Singer is a bettors’ delight, with five of the seven horses established as 9-2 or lower on the morning line. The tepid 5-2 morning line favourite, Blocking The Way, raced well in the Super Bowl final, finishing third while closing willingly in the stretch. Propulsion, fourth in the Super Bowl, is the 3-1 second choice. Recent 1:55.3 winner Walk The Walk is in the field as well, as is Donnie Darko, who won his most recent start, and Two Hip Dip, who was the ‘buzz’ horse going into the Super Bowl final. This pari-mutuel puzzler is the anchor leg of the 50-cent Early Pick 4, slated as Race 6 on the card. The Early Pick 4 continues to gather momentum as well, with an average pool of just over $50,000 this winter.
Thursday’s Meadowlands program also features an extremely competitive $25,000 Dash For The ‘C’ Notes final for pacing mares. It is the most wide open race of the night and starts the 50-cent Late Pick 4, which has averaged a robust $70,287 in wagering dollars each night.
Last Thursday, the multi-race exotics not only featured big pools, but massive payouts as well. The Pick 5 returned $2,255, the Early Pick 4 was cashed for $1,520 and the Late Pick 4 dividend was a prodigious $10,841.
In addition to the Pick 5 and pair of Pick 4 wagers, which are all offered with a 15 per cent takeout, there are also two Jackpot Super Hi-5 carryovers on Thursday. The fifth race carryover stands at $7,487, while the last race carryover continues to grow, now reaching $82,699, its highest total since the wager was implemented. Both Jackpot Super Hi-5 wagers are offered with a 20-cent minimum and feature an industry-low eight per cent takeout rate.
There will be Thursday night racing each Thursday throughout the month of February, with first-race post time set for 7:15 p.m.
(With files from the Meadowlands)