Keeneland in Kentucky has again finished number one in the Horseplayers Association of North America track ratings released April 1.
HANA prepared the ratings for the first time last year. Keeneland has finished on top both times.
“No takeout on any wager higher than 19%, average field size of 9.38, and pool sizes that give the player every opportunity to make a big score—when we looked at the raw numbers, hands down, Keeneland was North America's highest-rated track,” HANA President Jeff Platt said in a statement.
“We were surprised to have won last year and thrilled to win again this year,” Keeneland president and chief executive officer Nick Nicholson said. “I want to thank all the great people at Keeneland who make this possible.”
After Keeneland, Churchill Downs in Kentucky was second, Tampa Bay Downs in Florida third, Gulfstream Park in Florida fourth, and Oaklawn Park in Arkansas fifth. Standings for all 69 tracks ranked by the system are available at the HANA Web site.
The proprietary HANA ratings are based on an algorithm designed by HANA board member Bill Weaver, a retired engineer of Houston, Texas. Using studies and empirical data that are directly correlated to horseplayer value and handle growth—namely takeout rate, field size, wager variety, pool size, and signal distribution—a composite score is tabulated, and tracks are ranked from one to 69.
HANA will publish all rankings information on its Web site, including data on takeout rates and field size.