Attendance Still Up, Handle Off Slightly  At Six-Week Mark

DEL MAR, Calif. – Figures at the six-week point of the Del Mar race meeting continued to follow the same pattern they have all meet long with attendance up over 2009’s numbers, while overall handle is down slightly from last summer’s bet amounts.

Through Sunday’s (8/29/10) 30th day of the track’s 37-day session, the daily average on-track crowd count was up 2.3 percent from 18,179 per afternoon in 2009 to 18,605 this year.

At the wickets, the numbers reflect a decline of 6.9 percent in daily average handle, dipping from $12,527,694 last year to $11,662,311 this summer. Adapting to the current general horse shortage in California, Del Mar has run 17 fewer races this summer than last — 261 as opposed to 278 — which explains some of the handle decline. The track’s per-race handle is actually up 3.51 percent over last season, $1,043,457 per race in 2010 vs. $1,008,035 in 2009.

Del Mar will race this coming week Wednesday through Labor Day Monday, take Tuesday (Sept. 7) off, then come back the following day for their final card of the 2010 meeting.

SPA BUSINESS SURGES AFTER BRILLIANT WEEKEND

Total Wagering Now Posts Slight Gain Compared to Races Run

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Attendance and handle rebounded sharply following a weekend of glorious weather and spectacular racing, according to statistics through five full weeks at Saratoga released today by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA).

On-track attendance and handle, which were each down 10.7 percent after Week 3, are now off only 5.3 and 6.0 percent, respectively, from 2009 figures while total wagering on Saratoga nationwide is down only 1.7 percent due largely to a 2.6 percent decrease in races run (294 vs. 302).

“We’re thrilled with the enthusiastic response from our customers this weekend,” said NYRA President and CEO Charles Hayward.  “We’re pointing to a big finish with more great weather, strong midweek racing cards, Saturday’s Woodward and Forego, and our premiere stakes for two-year-olds, the Spinaway and the Three Chimneys Hopeful, closing out the meet on Sunday and Monday.”

* Attendance for the five full weeks of the meet (30 days, Days 5 through 34) was 667,171, down 5.3 percent from 704,423 for the first 30 days of the 2009 meet, with a daily average of 22,239 compared to 23,481.  (*See note on attendance below.)

* On-track handle for the four weeks totaled $88,817,179, down 6.0 percent from $94,468,366 for 2009’s first five weeks, with a daily average of $2,960,573 compared to $3,148,946.

* All-sources handle (which combines wagers on Saratoga races both on-track and from simulcast outlets nationwide) for the five weeks was $408,145,326, down 1.7 percent from $415,187,788 in 2009, with a daily average of $13,604,844 compared to $13,839,593.

* Daily average attendance for the full 34 days of the meet (including the four extra days, July 23-26) is 21,754, average on-track handle is $2,908,825, and average all-sources handle is $13,514,208.  Average betting interests per race for the meet are 8.33 compared to 8.28 in 2009 with 150 turf races and 24 taken off the turf.

* Note: Attendance figures for Giveaway Days include patrons who pay multiple admissions to obtain more than one giveaway item, either at the track entrance or at the multiple admissions area inside the track.  There have been three Giveaway Days in 2010 and three through the first four weeks of the 2009 meet.