(from Portland Meadows)
Oregon's Portland Meadows established a record for all-sources handle on Jan. 28 with $1,433,207 bet on the nine-race card.
The figure tops the previous high, which was $1,114,528 set on Dec. 18, 2007. The former record was reached during an eleven-race card.
General manager William Alempijevic credited TrackNet Media for the big increase at the Magna Entertainment-owned facility.
“Because of TrackNet’s efforts with regards to simulcasting, we have been able to increase our distribution to include almost every site in America and to a few markets in Canada as well,” Alempijevic said. “What the record handle means for us is that more fans of racing watched and wagered on our races (Jan. 28). We introduced new people to racing from Portland Meadows and I hope they enjoyed the races they watched.”
The day not only set an all-sources handle record for an entire card, but also for a single race. at Portland Meadows. The day’s fifth race set the mark with a handle of $230,506.
“Over the past three years, we have been able to grow our handle to the point that new bettors are interested in following our races because of the larger size of each pool,” commented Alempijevic. “When we were averaging $200,000 a day in all sources handle, I am sure many bettors either reduced the value of their wagers when playing Portland Meadows or stayed away from our races altogether for the fear of affecting the odds or not getting their fair value for their winning ticket. Hopefully these new fans become familiarized with our races and start following them on a regular basis.”
Portland Meadows conducts live racing on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with first post at 12:45 p.m. Pacific.