Record Crowd Sets Keeneland Handle Mark
by Blood-Horse Staff
Date Posted: 4/17/2005 6:18:52 PM
Last Updated: 4/19/2005 7:32:50 PM

The record crowd at Keeneland for Saturday's Toyota Blue Grass Stakes.
Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
(from Keeneland release)
Keeneland set a single-day mark for on-track handle when a record crowd wagered $3,599,648 on Saturday's Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) program.

An all-time record 33,621 people wagered $2,902,234 on 10-races at Keeneland, and an additional $697,414 on racing imported from 10 tracks from around the country.

The previous record handle was $3,516,621, set on Toyota Blue Grass Day in 2002. The previous record attendance was 31,028, set on April 17, 2004.

Betting from all sources Saturday totaled $16,667,487, the second highest in Keeneland history. A total of $13,067,839 was wagered at off-track sites, including those in Kentucky.

The all-time single-day record from all sources is $17,076,993, set on Toyota Blue Grass Day in 2001.

Wagering on the inaugural Premier Pick 4, a national wager combining two races at Keeneland and two races at Oaklawn Park, totaled $726,194. The winning $2 combination paid $2,532.80.

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