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Hawthorne Ties Purse Money to Field Size

Hawthorne Race Course will offer bonus money for larger fields during its spring meet, track officials announced Dec. 26.

Gulfstream Park Handle Beating Projections

Gulfstream Park reported average daily all-sources pari-mutuel handle of about $6.6 million during its first 10 race days in December, surpassing management's expectations for its first December racing in several decades.

Hollywood Park Reports Handle Up 13.8%

The Southern California track also reported its average daily handle up 9.5% but complete figures are not yet available for the 26-day Autumn meet.

Monmouth Meet: Down From 2010, Up From 2009

Business at Monmouth Park this year expectedly dropped after what appears to be a one-time "Elite Meet" last year, but average daily figures were still much higher than those recorded for the comparable 2009 meet.

A Bettor Derby Day - By Evan Hammonds

Why shouldn't the Derby draw a 22-horse field with a pair of also-eligibles?

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Short on Entries, Delaware Cancels Program

Delaware Park, which just began its 2011 meet April 30, has canceled live racing for May 10 because of a lack of entries.

Santa Anita Handle Down in All Categories

Whether gross or average figures are used, pari-mutuel handle for the Santa Anita Park winter/spring was down, according to information compiled from various sources.

Turfway Bucks Trend; Ontrack Handle Up 13.5%

Turfway Park reported across-the-board increases in pari-mutuel handle for its 2011 winter/spring meet in the face of national figures that show total handle on United States racing is down 8.5% for the same period.

HANA Targets Takeout Hike, Wants Panel Formed

The Horseplayers Association of North America is calling for reversal of a pari-mutuel takeout increase in California as well as creation of a gambling board that would advise the California Horse Racing Board.

Gulfstream: Total Handle Up 17.2% Thus Far

Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino reported strong gains in business for the first five days of its 2011 meet, which began Jan. 5. Handle thus far is up 17.2% in total.

Turfway Trims Purses to Maintain Stakes Slate

Faced with making a decision brought about by the battering of the Kentucky horse racing industry, Turfway Park has opted to cut some overnight purses in order to maintain a weekly stakes schedule.

Breeders' Cup Bucks Trend With Handle Growth

Total handle -- including money wagered through a non-pari-mutuel betting exchange -- on the 2010 Breeders' Cup World Championships could approach $200 million, according to figures released by Breeders' Cup.

Racing Secretaries Meet to Address Issues

Racing secretaries from around the country have begun meeting to address common issues.

Most Averages Up at Scaled-Down Retama Meet

A greatly scaled-down meet offered fewer opportunities for horsemen but generated on-site gains at Retama Park, which wrapped up its live meet Oct. 23.

Purses, Handle, Field Size Up at Hoosier Park

Hoosier Park Racing & Casino in Indiana reported strong across-the-board gains for its 2010 meet that ended Oct. 24.

Remington Reports Healthy Increase in Handle

Remington Park in Oklahoma reported strong gains in pari-mutuel handle for the first 20 days of its 66-day Thoroughbred meet.

Experiment With Fewer Dates Continues in KY

Another experimental year continues in Kentucky as Ellis Park wraps up its summer meet and Turfway Park prepares for a scaled-down session with only one stakes.

Plenty of Horses in Box for Monmouth Opener

The first day of the Monmouth Park experiment can be considered a success as far as the entry box goes, as 148 horses were entered in 13 races with purses totaling $812,000.

Less Equates to More at Delaware Park in 2009

Delaware Park raced 27 fewer days this year but registered increases in total handle and average daily handle, track officials said Oct. 28.

Total Handle at Keeneland Up 10% Thus Far

Total handle through the five days of racing at Keeneland is up 9.83%, the Lexington racetrack announced Oct. 16.

Hoosier Puts Bit More Pressure on Kentucky

Hoosier Park Racing & Casino has announced purse increase that has put purses about 20% higher than they were when its meet began July 30. Thus far, the Indiana track has paid about $30,000 more a day than Turfway Park in neighboring Kentucky.

Del Mar Says Shorter Race Week a Success

A shorter racing week helped Del Mar register gains in average daily attendance and pari-mutuel handle, the California racetrack reported Sept. 9, closing day of the meet.

Local Support Buoys 2009 Ellis Park Meet

Ellis Park, the western Kentucky racetrack that's on the fence for 2010, reported healthy gains in on-track business but a big drop in total handle after 20 days were cut from its 2009 meet.

Hoosier Park Decides to Increase Purses 12%

Hoosier Park Racing & Casino will raise purses 12% beginning Aug. 19, citing a "conservative approach" taken with the purse account when the meet began in late July.

Turfway Calendar Intact, But Changes Loom

A reduction in stakes purses for its upcoming meet will allow Turfway Park to maintain overnight purses and racing days, but track officials are thinking ahead to 2010, when that probably won't be the case.

Pimlico: Average Handle Up, But Total Down

A 16.4% increase in average daily handle from out-of-state wagering outlets fueled an 8.9% jump in average daily handle from all sources during the spring meet at Pimlico Race Course.

Average Total Handle Rises at Hawthorne

Hawthorne Race Course in Illinois registered gains in average daily total handle for its 2008-09 fall/winter meet thanks to increases in out-of-state wagering. On-track and in-state handle on Hawthorne races declined, however.

Gulfstream Banking on 2009 Meet Changes

Gulfstream Park is hoping that a move to a five-day race week will help produce larger fields and attract more live fans and other bettors on days that have proven more popular than its newly-dark Mondays.

Remington Park: Purses Up, Handle Down

Remington Park in Oklahoma recently completed its 20th season of Thoroughbred racing with a record purse disbursement and increased attendance, but followed national trends with a decline in most wagering statistics.

Woodbine Realizes Handle Decline

Woodbine concluded its 167-day Thoroughbred meet Dec. 7 with a 1.55% drop in all-sources handle, the Toronto-area track recently reported.

Numbers Down for Turfway Fall Meet

Turfway Park closed its 2008 fall meet with declines in all-sources and on-track handle, the Florence, Ky., track reported Oct. 3.

On-Track Business Up at Kentucky Downs

Kentucky Downs wrapped up its 16th season of live racing with increases in on-track business for its six-day turf-only race meet that ended Sept. 23.

Evangeline Downs Reports Record Gains

Evangeline Downs Racetrack and Casino's recently concluded 2008 spring/summer Thoroughbred season posted all-time highs in average nightly handle, single-night handle, average field size, and purse distribution for the 84-night meet.

Evangeline Hikes Purses; Fields Large

Evangeline Downs Racetrack & Casino has increased overnight purses by more than 5% to bring the nightly average to more than $190,000 effective June 21.

Pimlico Handle Drops 16.5% During Meet

Hampered by a double-digit handle decline on its biggest race card, the May 17 Preakness Stakes (gr. I), Pimlico Race Course realized a 16.5% drop in all-sources wagering for its 31-day meet that closed June 7.

Delaware Certified Bonuses Get a Boost

Purse bonuses under the Delaware Certified Thoroughbred Program at Delaware Park were increased June 1.

MEC: No Immediate Plan to Sell MD Tracks

A Magna Entertainment Corp. executive said the company has no plans to sell either of its Maryland racetracks but indicated the results of a statewide November referendum on slot machines could play a role in any decision.

Mooney Hired as Consultant for Del Park

Delaware Park has retained horseracing veteran John Mooney to consult on racing-specific matters, track officials announced May 12.

Philly: More Money in the New Year

The year 2008 has brought another purse increase to Philadelphia Park Casino & Racetrack, but the Pennsylvania track and other tracks in the Mid-Atlantic region are expected to continue competing for horses as the year progresses.

Field Size an Issue at Delaware

Delaware Park, one of Thoroughbred racing's pioneers in terms of combining racing and video gaming, ended its 2007 meet Nov. 4 with declines in total handle and field size, though purses paid increased about $1 million.

Turf Paradise Hits Stride Early in 2007-08 Meet

Turf Paradise hopes to improve upon the previous season's record daily purse distribution at its 2007-08 race meet, which commenced Oct. 5. So far, things seems headed in the right direction.

Attendance and Handle Strong at Saratoga

Attendance, on-track handle, and total handle remained up through the first 11 days of racing at Saratoga Race Course.

Belmont Park Reports Increase in Handle

Belmont Park's on-track handle, including simulcasts, increased 4.3% at the recently-concluded 59-day spring/summer Meet, the racetrack announced July 27.

Tampa Bay Downs Reports Record Handle and Purses

Steady growth in interstate wagering, total handle and purse payouts highlighted the 81st season of live thoroughbred racing at Tampa Bay Downs, which ended May 6. The Oldsmar, Fla., track also celebrated a record single-day attendance May 5 when a crowd of 11,014 witnessed Tampa Bay Derby (gr. III) winner Street Sense capture the 133rd Kentucky Derby.

CDI: Internal Growth, Several External Challenges

Churchill Downs the company hopes to reap the rewards of what president Tom Meeker calls a "culture change," and it also plans to utilize its resources to deal with three lingering industry problems: the tote system, offshore wagering, and short fields.

Churchill Trims Maximum Fields to Dozen

Churchill Downs is trimming the maximum size of its overnight fields for races on the main track from 14 horses to 12 beginning Saturday.

West Coast Race Fields Improve as Gulfstream Park Feels Slump

While California has worried about declining field sizes for about two years, Santa Anita Park has created hope this year by attracting 20% more starters per race in its first two weeks. On the East Coast, however, average field size has gone from boom to bust. Gulfstream Park came out of its 2001 season with an 8.2% increase in average starters per race, but this year field size lagged 18% during the first week of racing.

At Thistledown, More Horses Mean Bump in Handle

Thistledown's plan to revamp its racing program to compete for horses with nearby Mountaineer Park in West Virginia has paid off, at least very early in its 2001 meet. Track general manager Bill Murphy said the increase in field size had much to do with the spike in handle.