News & Barn notes
Fixed Odds Returns Higher Prices In Nine Of Ten Races On Monmouth Park’s Opening Day Card On Saturday
May 14, 2023
Fixed odds wagering was front and center at Monmouth Park Racetrack for Saturday’s opening day and now, in its second year, again provided gamblers with solid value throughout the 10-race card.
Last year, fixed odds betting was predominantly available on-track and online at MonmouthBets.com, but the 2023 season at the iconic Jersey Shore track has been bolstered by the launch of the MonmouthBets mobile app, which allows New Jersey bettors to access fixed odds from their Android and Apple devices.
Fixed odds markets have been live for Sunday 10-race program since Friday and will be available well ahead of race days throughout the racing season.
Horseplayers in New Jersey now have the luxury of choice between the pari-mutuel pools and fixed odds, and that benefit was evident on opening day, when nine of the 10 races featured better payouts than the tote, as highlighted below.
| Race | Winner | Opening Odds | Best odds | Closing Odds | Tote Odds |
| 1 | Prisoner | 3.90 | 3.90 | 3.20 | 3.50 |
| 2 | Excess Demand* | 3.20 | 3.20 | 2.20 | 1.50 |
| 3 | Super Duper Fly | 7.00 | 13 | 13 | 9.10 |
| 4 | Smile Bryan* | 6.00 | 5.50 | 3.40 | 3.50 |
| 5 | Coolcalm Collected | 2.60 | 3.50 | 3.10 | 3.00 |
| 6 | Girl Trouble | 1.80 | 1.80 | 1.70 | 1.60 |
| 7 | Big Brass Bed | 2.80 | 3.70 | 2.50 | 2.80 |
| 8 | Howgreatisnate | 7.00 | 10 | 7.50 | 6.30 |
| 9 | Katies A Lady | 8.00 | 8.00 | 4.80 | 4.80 |
| 10 | Hushion | 4.80 | 4.80 | 4.60 | 5.30 |
*Indicates scratches affecting opening price
All prices displayed in decimal odds
“We saw last year that around 70 percent of fixed odds prices on closing were superior to the tote, and Saturday was only half, but fixed odds isn’t about the closing price. It’s about trying to read the market and secure the best price you can,” said Dallas Baker, head of Fixed Odds International at BetMakers, which powers the MonmouthBets platform. “It’s not about whether the tote or fixed odds is a better product. It’s about providing racing’s No. 1 customer — the punter or gambler — with an expanded offering that improves the whole wagering ecosystem.”
Looking to the Sunday feature, the $100,000 Serena’s Song Stakes, MonmouthBets has opened with the Chad Brown-trained Distinctlypossible as a $2.20 favorite, ahead of Leader of the Band, ridden by leading rider Paco Lopez, at $3.80. Shotgun Hottie is next in line at $5.50.
“Chad Brown opened the meet with a training double, and with the status he holds in the game, he doesn’t really need a reference like that for his horses to come up very short on the tote,” Baker said. “And Paco is usually supported heavily on the tote, so with these runners that hold plenty of sentiment, it is most likely you are going to get better value on the fixed odds boards, as that sentiment doesn’t really factor in.”
MonmouthBets is available via app download, in person at Monmouth Park or online at MonmouthBets.com, for New Jersey customers 18 and older. A $50 signup bonus is available for new customers.
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