Remington Park's Thoroughbred season produced an increase in average wagering handle and a record level for purses during the 67-day season that ended Dec. 10, the Oklahoma City racetrack reported.
The meet experienced a 2.6% increase in pari-mutuel handle per-race compared to the 2010 season of the same length, according to a Dec. 14 press release from the track. Through 615 betting races this year, 24 less than a year ago, the average handle per race was $86,980.
Meanwhile, total purses reached $14,862,598 for a daily average of $221,830, both up 2.9% compared to 2010, breaking a record set last year. A total of 6,008 starters competed during the season for an average field size of 9.8 per event.
Remington Park’s racing and casino gaming attracted total attendance for the season at 491,114, up 6.4% from a year ago. The Labor Day afternoon racing program along with the Oklahoma Derby Day, the Oklahoma Classics Night, and the final evening of the season, featuring the Springboard Mile, all boasted crowds in excess of 10,000. The Labor Day crowd of 15,531 was tops for the meeting.
“Remington Park guests were treated to thrilling moments throughout the season,” said Scott Wells, Remington Park president and general manager. “We’re grateful to our fans, our horsemen and our dedicated staff for making Remington Park the most popular attraction in the city. We’ll reach two million visitors by the end of the year.”
Live wagering at the track along with handle from export wagering was nearly even with that of 2010. The live handle totaled $5,012,053, a slight decrease of 0.7%. The export handle played at jurisdictions outside of Remington Park was 0.8% lower at $48,161,397.
All-source handle wagered on Remington Park, consisting of wagering on-track, wagering at off-track sites operated by Remington Park, and export wagering to other jurisdictions, was $53,492,493, 1.3% lower compared to the 2010 season, which featured 24 more races.
The importing of simulcast races to Remington Park on live race dates experienced growth with $5,458,955 wagered throughout the season, up 3.1% compared to the 2010 import handle.
Live racing is now on hiatus at Remington Park until the beginning of the 2012 American Quarter Horse and mixed-breed season March 2.
