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Atlantic City Ends Meet With $1 Million Day

Atlantic City Race Course ended its six-day all turf meet May 1 with total pari-mutuel handle in excess of $1 million for a seven-race program.

Export Handle Fuels Charles Town Record

Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races set another pari-mutuel handle record in April when it reported average daily handle of $1,367,336, up 1% from the same month in 2012.

Average Daily Handle Down 4% at Turfway Meet

Though total pari-mutuel handle during the recent winter/spring meet at Turfway Park fell almost 30% from the same meet in 2012, average daily handle was down 4% because of 11 fewer live racing days.

MJC Tracking Horsemen's Out-of-Town Starts

The Maryland Jockey Club has put horsemen on notice regarding the shipping of horses to race at other tracks in the region.

Handle, Purses Increase at Penn National

Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course reported a 19.4% increase in all-sources pari-mutuel handle for 197 live racing days in 2012. Meanwhile, total purses jumped 11.6%.

Charles Town Reports Handle Records for 2012

Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races reported that, for the first time in the track's 79 years of operation, average daily pari-mutuel handle topped the $1 million mark.

Turfway Purses to Increase Beginning Jan. 1

Turfway Park is following through with its plan to increase purses across the board when its winter/spring meet begins Jan. 1, 2013. The new condition book at the Kentucky racetrack reflects increases of 13% to about 35%.

Solutions Not Readily Available in Kentucky

That Turfway Park is struggling to fill live racing programs for its 16-day meet is no surprise to horsemen, who believe a "perfect storm" developed in September.

Penn National Handle Up Fourth Straight Month

Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course reported double-digit increases in pari-mutuel handle on and off track for the fourth consecutive month in June.

Presque Isle Adds Barns for Upcoming Meet

Presque Isle Downs & Casino now has 668 stalls after building two 48-stall barns in advance of its 2012 meet, officials said April 17.

Keeneland Optimistic Amid Competitive Forces

Keeneland will begin its spring meet April 6 with full fields and quiet optimism in what has become a very competitive Thoroughbred racing environment in terms of purse money and horse population.

Turfway Reports Handle, Field Size Down

All-sources pari-mutuel handle on Turfway Park races during its winter/spring meet dropped 11.2%, while ontrack handle on live racing was down 16.5%, track officials said April 2.

Sam Houston Reports Gains for 2012 Meet

Sam Houston Race Park reported a 35% increase in live pari-mutuel handle and a 40% jump in attendance for its 31-day Thoroughbred meet, which ended March 12.

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.