handle increase | Horse Racing Free Tips

Wagering At Aqueduct Spring Meet Shows 11.5 Percent Increase In Daily Average

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced Tuesday that the boutique 11-day Aqueduct spring meet generated all-sources handle of $85,419,050, a 2.2 percent increase over the 2019 Aqueduct spring meet.

Average daily handle over the 11 days of live racing was $7,765,368, an 11.5 percent increase over 2019, when average daily handle over the 12 days of live racing was $6,964,947.

The 2020 spring meet at Aqueduct Racetrack was canceled in its entirety due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In accordance with New York State guidelines instituted to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the 2021 Aqueduct spring meet was conducted without spectators and with only a limited number of owners and essential employees in attendance.

On-track handle, which includes wagering from New York residents utilizing NYRA Bets, was $5,734,531 compared to $9,987,247 in 2019.

The Belmont Park spring/summer meet, which features 59 total stakes races worth $16.95 million in total purses, will open on Thursday, April 22 and continue through Sunday, July 11.

For additional information, and the complete Belmont Park spring/summer stakes schedule, please visit NYRA.com.

The post Wagering At Aqueduct Spring Meet Shows 11.5 Percent Increase In Daily Average appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Hawthorne’s Fall Thoroughbred Meet Shows 29 Percent Handle Increase

In a year that saw a break during the summer harness meet for racing, limited to no fans in the facility, and uncertainty throughout the industry with virus concerns, the fall Thoroughbred meet at Hawthorne in Stickney, Ill. wrapped up with strong handle and field size increases. While the vast majority of handle came from locations off-site due to Covid-19 restrictions, great support from the horsemen in the entry box, beautiful weather, and support of the wagering public made for sizeable gains during the 34 day fall meet.

For handle, with restrictions in place throughout 2020, the only true comparison comes with total handle as $65,658,122 was wagered over the 34 racing days in 2020. This was compared to $44,763,380 wagered on the 30 cards in the 2019 October through December timeframe. This translated to a 29 percent per card increase in handle of $1,931,121 wagered per card in 2020 compared to $1,492,112 in the fall of 2019. For the 2020 meet, 15 cards surpassed $2 million in handle, compared to just one in 2019.

Field size greatly increased as well. With 298 races run in 2020, compared to 277 in 2019, a total of 2,694 horses started this fall, compared to 2,251 last season. Total average field size for the meet increased from 8.13 per race in 2019 to 9.04 in 2020. The nice weather paid off for turf races as 49 races were run on the grass in 2020, compared to just 19 in 2019.

On the track, jockey Victor Santiago won his second Hawthorne riding title, winning 32 races. 2019 champ Jareth Loveberry had another strong meet, finishing with 28 wins. Loveberry was followed by Chris Emigh, Julio Felix, and newcomer Francisco Arrieta, each with 27 wins apiece.

Trainer Hugh Robertson took his second consecutive training title, winning 26 races this fall. Scott Becker finished second with 16 wins. A strong first Hawthorne meet from Karl Broberg had him in third with 14 victories, tied with Brittany Vandenberg.

A big closing day pushed Novogratz Racing Stables to the owner's title, winning 16 races, followed by William Stritiz with 13 victories and End Zone Athletics, Inc. with 10 wins.

Two horses won five races during the fall meet as Wake Up Joe and Verrazano First both accomplished that feat. Readthecliffnotes scored four times during the fall racing season.

“2020 has been a year unlike any other at Hawthorne,” stated Hawthorne President and General Manager Tim Carey. “We faced uncertainty with the racing schedule, fans on-site, and working around casino construction at our facility. Working hand in hand with our horsemen made a great difference though. They are excited about what is just around the corner at Hawthorne for racing and showed their support all meet long. While 2020 turned out to be a strong fall meet for us, I cannot wait for what we can do for racing in Illinois in 2021 and beyond.”

The post Hawthorne’s Fall Thoroughbred Meet Shows 29 Percent Handle Increase appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Belmont Fall Meet Sees 33.6 Percent Increase In Average Daily Handle

The New York Racing Association Inc., (NYRA) today announced that the Belmont Park fall meet generated $9,923,813 in average daily handle from all sources, a 33.6 percent increase over the 2019 fall meet.

Despite running 10 fewer days than in 2019, all sources handle of $267,942,961 was down just 2.5 percent compared with 2019.

The Belmont Park fall meet has traditionally opened on the Friday following Labor Day. Due to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, NYRA adjusted the fall schedule by adding a one-week break following the conclusion of the summer meet at Saratoga Race Course. As a result, the 2020 fall meet was contested over 27 days compared to 37 days in 2019, a 27 percent decrease in race dates.

A total of 267 races were run during the fall meet with 148 on the main track and 118 over the grass. Average field size over those 267 races was 7.88, an 8.7 percent increase over 2019. 24 races were taken off the turf due to weather.

The Oct. 10 Jockey Club Gold Cup Day card, which featured 5 graded stakes in total, generated all sources handle of $19,534,830, which is the highest single day handle number for a Belmont fall race date since September 2014.

The 2019 fall meet at Belmont Park generated all sources handle of $274,929,718 and average daily handle of $7,430,533. 324 races were run in total with 14 races taken off the turf due to weather. Average field size was 7.25.

Chad Brown posted 22 wins to earn the status as top trainer for the Belmont Park fall meet for the ninth consecutive year, while Jose Ortiz registered 40 victories to lead all riders.

Klaravich Stables campaigned 13 winners, six more than the second-closest competitor in Repole Stables, to pace all owners.

The fall meet was conducted without spectators and with only a limited number of essential personnel, horsemen and owners on-site due to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2020 fall meet at Aqueduct Racetrack will begin on Friday, November 6 and continue through Sunday, December 6. Highlighted by the 32nd renewal of the of the Grade 1, $250,000 Cigar Mile on Saturday, December 5, the 18-day fall meet at Aqueduct features 29 stakes, including 11 graded events, worth $3.41 in purses.

Opening weekend of the Big A fall meet, which coincides with the Breeders' Cup set for November 6-7 at Keeneland Race Course, begins with the $100,000 Tempted for juvenile fillies and $100,000 Atlantic Beach for juvenile turf sprinters on November 6.

Following opening weekend, live racing will be conducted Thursday through Sunday with the exception of Thanksgiving Week, when live racing will not be offered on Thanksgiving Day, November 26.

New York state currently requires all racetracks to operate without spectators in attendance to combat the spread of COVID-19. As was the case during the Belmont Park fall meet, a limited number of New York State Gaming Commission-licensed owners will be permitted at Aqueduct on the day their horse is entered to race.

America's Day at the Races will present daily television coverage of the Aqueduct fall meet with coverage to air on FOX Sports and MSG Networks.

The post Belmont Fall Meet Sees 33.6 Percent Increase In Average Daily Handle appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post