Quote:
|
I'm not saying tracks like Dmr or AP are lying, but of people I talk to, nobody is increasing their handle on these tracks.
|
All from The Blood-Horse:
" ... Del Mar shows a
3.1% gain in its on-track handle ... Overall handle figures are even stronger, reflecting a
5.8% increase. The daily all-source handle jumped from $12,295,760 to $13,009,606."
" Keeneland ... total wagering to a record $158,368,308 during Keeneland’s 2007 spring race meeting .... The all-sources handle figure ... a more than
10% increase over the previous record of $143,479,802 set last spring.
Total wagering averaged a record $10,557,887 per day, breaking last year’s record of $9,565,320. Field size averaged 9.5 horses this spring versus 8.09 . Polytrack races also averaged 9.5 starters per race,
up 21.4% from last spring. Keeneland realized
substantial increases in interstate commingled wagering, which rose 14% to $125,952,284 compared to last year’s record of $110,401,486. Average daily interstate handle of $8,396,819 also topped 2006’s record level of $7,360,099. "
" After completing its second holiday meet run over a Polytrack surface in 2006, Turfway Park reported a healthy
7.5% increase in on-track wagering and an
18.7% jump in all-source handle. During the 25-day stand (Nov. 26-Dec. 31) the amount wagered on Turfway races by patrons at the track totaled $3,479,946. Handle on Turfway races from all sources reached $88,224,228. It was the fourth consecutive end-of-meet reporting period for the Florence, Ky., track to show
increases in both categories and double-digit hikes in all-sources handle. The holiday meet is the last of Turfway's three annual stands. Taking all three meets together, Turfway enjoyed double-digit increases in both on-track and all-sources handle in 2006. On-track handle for the year rose 13.5% over 2005 to $15,558,289, while all-sources wagering
rose 41.3% to $345,128,726. Total purses paid in 2006 increased 5.5% to $16,368,342. Field size across the year held steady at 8.8 starters per race. "
"Woodbine's all-source handle fell 8.6% in 2006, but a rebound in wagering and field size after installation of an all-weather main track has officials for the Woodbine Entertainment Group looking forward to next year. An "all-sources" total of $333,489,534 was wagered during the 162-day meet, which began April 1 and ended Dec. 10, compared to the $364,750,930 recorded in 2005. "We had a slow start to the year, but after Polytrack was installed we really noticed an improvement in our key numbers like handle and field size," said Sean Pinsonneault, Woodbine Entertainment's vice president of wagering services. "We have some momentum going into 2007." Woodbine became the first track in Canada and second in North America to install Polytrack, a synthetic racing surface which provides a soft cushion for horse and rider. Racing over Polytrack was presented for the first time on Aug. 30. To accommodate the conversion of the main track to Polytrack, Thoroughbred racing was conducted over a dirt-covered Standardbred racing oval for 29 dates, from July 8 to Aug. 27. Total handle after the Polytrack installation was a strong $157,445,000, compared to $151,152,000 in 2005,
an increase of 4.2%. Average field size at Woodbine was 8.6 horses per race this year, up from 8.5 in 2005. During the Polytrack portion of the meet, 9.2 horses were carded per race, compared to 8.5 last year, an increase of 8.2%."
"The Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company (OBS) Friday announced that it is converting its one-mile racetrack to an all-weather SAFETRACK surface. Manufactured by Andrews Bowen, Ltd., the new surface will be ready for the 2008 juvenile selling season. OBS conducts four sales of 2-year-olds in training each year in Central Florida, with select sales in February and March and open sales in April and June. The track is also utilized for most of the rest of the year as a public training center, with many of the area’s horsemen taking advantage of the facility. And there is one day of racing in February. Keeneland, which has Polytrack, earlier this year became the first auction firm in North America to conduct workouts for a sale of 2-year-olds in training over a synthetic surface. OBS will be the second. "