Tag: handle

Average Daily Handle Strong at Aqueduct

Average daily all-sources handle for the recently concluded 15-day Aqueduct fall meet was $10,295,293, according to a release Thursday from the New York Racing Association. That figure represents an 11.2% increase over 2020, and average daily handle at the fall meet has risen 25.4% since 2019.

The release noted that NYRA has also seen strong handle growth at Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course: “Average daily handle at the Belmont fall meet has grown 39% since 2019 with the 2021 summer meet at Saratoga eclipsing $20 million in average daily handle for the first time in history.”

With three fewer days of live racing compared to last year's Aqueduct fall meet, all-sources handle was $154,429,388 vs. $166,702,976 in 2020. The 2019 fall meet was held over 25 days and generated all-sources handle of $205,249,710.

With in-person attendance more open this year than in 2020 when only a limited number of owners could attend the races amidst the pre-vaccine era of the pandemic, on-track handle was unsurprisingly up–by 35.1% to $15,268,541. The 25-day fall meet in 2021 generated $20,712,645 in on-track handle.

A total of 74 races were run on the grass a this year's meet with six taken off due to weather. There were 68 turf races and 11 events taken off the grass last season.

Average field size for the 145 races run at the meet was 8.90, up 2.6% compared to 2020 and 5.9% from 2019.

The 2021-22 Aqueduct winter meet began Thursday and continues through Sunday, Mar. 27. America's Day at the Races will feature live daily coverage on the FOX Sports networks. Click here for the broadcast schedule.

 

The post Average Daily Handle Strong at Aqueduct appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Foreign Gains, Average Field Size Of 9 Starters Push Woodbine To Third-Highest Season Handle

Woodbine Entertainment today announced the 2021 Thoroughbred season produced an all-sources handle of $505,348,339, the third highest season total in Woodbine Thoroughbred history.

For the second consecutive season, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a shortened season, as the 2021 Woodbine Thoroughbred meet did not begin until June 12. Originally scheduled for 133 race dates, the 2021 season included 99 race days, three more than last year, and 946 races contested.

Despite the delayed start, the 2021 season topped $500 million in all-sources handle, propelled mightily by Woodbine's highest single-season foreign wagering handle ever of $420,666,755.

The strong foreign numbers can be attributed to enticing and consistent field sizes, as Woodbine averaged 9.0 starters per-race to rank as one of North America's leading racetracks in the category.

“Growing and strengthening the Woodbine brand across North America has been a focal point of our day-to-day activities over the past several years,” said Jim Lawson, CEO of Woodbine Entertainment. “We're proud of our success in this area, as it's evident these efforts continue to raise the profile of our world-class racing product at Woodbine.

“Although our gains in the US are considerable, we're intently focused on revitalizing wagering in our home market area for 2022. Through evolving restrictions, we now have our racetracks and off-track locations operating, while also sporting our largest number of HPIbet users ever. Our task now is to leverage all options available in 2022 to push this area towards sustainability.”

The impressive average field size of 9.0 helped push a 4.8 per cent increase in average per-race handle, which came in at $534,194 for 2021.

“Our racing team did a great job in creating appealing and competitive races throughout the entire season,” said Lawson. “The support of the owners and trainers through these hard times deserves recognition and our commitment to providing the best overall experience to those racing at Woodbine will only heighten in 2022.”

Key Highlights of 2021:

The 2022 Woodbine Thoroughbred season is tentatively scheduled to begin on Saturday, April 16. A total of 133 race-dates are on the schedule, headlined by the 163rd running of The Queen's Plate on Sunday, August 21.

The post Foreign Gains, Average Field Size Of 9 Starters Push Woodbine To Third-Highest Season Handle appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Woodbine Sees Third Highest Handle in 2021

Woodbine's 2021 Thoroughbred season produced an all-sources handle of $505,348,339, the third-highest season total in Woodbine Thoroughbred history.

For the second consecutive season, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a shortened season as the 2021 Woodbine Thoroughbred meet did not begin until June 12. Originally scheduled for 133 race dates, the 2021 season included 99 race days, three more than last year, and 946 races contested.

Despite the delayed start, the 2021 season topped $500 million in all-sources handle, propelled mightily by Woodbine's highest single-season foreign wagering handle ever of $420,666,755.

The average field size of nine was a 4.8% increase in average per-race handle, which came in at $534,194 for 2021.

“Our racing team did a great job in creating appealing and competitive races throughout the entire season,” said Lawson. “The support of the owners and trainers through these hard times deserves recognition and our commitment to providing the best overall experience to those racing at Woodbine will only heighten in 2022.”

The post Woodbine Sees Third Highest Handle in 2021 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Record Wagering, Safe Racing Highlight Del Mar’s 2021 Seasons

Del Mar brought to a close its 2021 racing calendar on Sunday with the conclusion of its eighth Bing Crosby Season adding additional luster to its robust summer stand. Between them, the pair totaled an exceptional combined final wagering mark of $943.49 million, a record for the seaside oval.

The track could point to many other positives throughout the 2021 year – the return of racing fans, exceptional purses for its horsemen, hosting another record-setting Breeders' Cup among them. But the standard the track is proudest of is its continuing mark as America's safest major racetrack. Only one horse was injured catastrophically in the 426 races and 3,552 starters that performed during the two sessions, a mark that is unmatched in the country.

Total handle for the four-week, 13-day fall session was $171.58 million. The fall meet average daily handle was a record $13.19 million, which was 1.0% higher than the record average daily handle posted last year.

The Breeders' Cup – conducted at Del Mar on November 5 and 6 – had a common-pool handle of $183,260,127, a two-day record for the championship event.

When Del Mar last hosted the Breeders' Cup in 2017, it posted a then-record handle of $166,077,486. The new mark is 10.4% higher than that.

Del Mar's wagering in 2021 totaled $943.49 million, 21.3% higher than the previous record of $778.97 million set in 2017 the last time Del Mar hosted the Breeders' Cup.

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club's CEO, Joe Harper, said he was extremely pleased by events at his track over the year.

“I am exceptionally proud of our team and seeing all their hard work come to such wonderful fruition over the course of the two seasons,” he said. “We put on a helluva Breeders' Cup show once again; we were at our best for the best. And we're safe, very safe. That's just the best of all.”

“The racing world once again got to see what we're spoiled with every year – one of the best operations in the industry,” said Gary Fenton, chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners of California. “Breeders' Cup kicked off another wonderful meet and we're so grateful for the entire DMTC team. TOC couldn't ask for a better partner.”

The track's Ship & Win program – where it encourages horsemen and horsewomen to bring their runners to Del Mar for both of its seasons and has proven to be one of the great thoroughbred magnets in the country – had another banner session. Sixty-seven new runners came to town this fall under the program with six of them making a second start during the Bing Crosby Season. All told, 1,885 “S&W” runners have come to California since the program was put in place 11 years ago.

Its fall Turf Festival again drew high-class runners from across the land to compete in its seven-race stand over the final weekend of the meet. More than a dozen stakes aces shipped in to take on the local runners in the rich events.

The track's fall riding king was Juan Hernandez with his 17 firsts from 79 mounts during the 15-day (counting the Breeders' Cup) session. It is his first riding title at Del Mar. The top trainer was Phil D'Amato who registered 15 firsts from 52 starters. It is his first fall riding championship, but his third at the track overall.

Racing will return to Del Mar next July 22 for the track's 83rd summer season.

The post Record Wagering, Safe Racing Highlight Del Mar’s 2021 Seasons appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights