Aqueduct, Keeneland Do Well with Derby Preps

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Aqueduct registered its largest attendance figure since 1993 for Saturday's card and attendance at Keeneland for the Blue Grass Stakes was the fifth highest total in the Lexington track's history.

A crowd of 20,103 passed through the turnstiles at Aqueduct Saturday, the track's highest attendance figure since 1993, when just under the 20,743 who witnessed Storm Tower win the 1993 Wood. Aside from the grade I Wood Memorial, the card featured two other graded stakes and the first Aqueduct appearance by all-time leading jockey Laffit Pincay Jr. since 1996.

At Keeneland, a crowd of 28,270 gathered for the Blue Grass Stakes, just over 1,400 under the record total of 29,687 set on Blue Grass day two years ago. $3,516,621 was wagered at the track, a single day record for on-track handle. Last year, $3,127,294 was wagered on Blue Grass day.

Aqueduct set a record total handle for a non-Breeders' Cup day, with wagers exceeding $22 million. Just under $20 million was wagered on the 1999 Wood Memorial card. On-track handle was $4,371,537, the highest since the 1993 Wood.

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