Indiana Grand Racing & Casino capped a meet of broken records with a single-season all-sources handle record of $198,960,722. The 2020 figure was up 31% from the 2019 handle of $123,635,376. There were 26 fewer days in the 2020 meet, which concluded last Thursday.
Also during its 2020 season, Indiana Grand recorded its highest single program handle on the July 8 Indiana Derby card with a total of $5,979,952 wagered on the 12 races. The Indiana Derby race alone garnered $1,026,395, which was a single-race record for the track. The four-day race period also marked the best week ever in the 18-year history of racing for Indiana Grand, with a total of $13,176,192 wagered.
The final week of racing also established some records, with a total of $3,869,898 wagered on the final program of the year Thursday, marking the largest handle on a non-Indiana Derby racing card in the history of the track. In all, a total of six days in 2020 showed handle in excess of $3 million. A weather-shortened card of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing was the only card which did not eclipse $1 million in total handle. The total of 91 days with handle in excess of $1 million is also a track record for Indiana Grand.
“To get 96 racing days in during these unprecedented times is a real credit to the Indiana Horse Racing Commission (IHRC) staff, our horsemen and our very dedicated group of employees,” said Eric Halstrom, vice president and general manager of racing at Indiana Grand. “When you consider that we did all of that while breaking every handle record on the books makes the season a success by any measure.”
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