Attendance and Handle Strong at Saratoga

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

Total attendance for the first 11 days of the 2007 meet was 305,917, up from 277,295 in 2006, an increase of 10.3%. Daily average attendance was up slightly to 27,811 compared to 27,730 in 2006, an increase of 0.3%. Racing was cancelled on the second Wednesday of the 2006 meet, so the daily average is reduced somewhat since Wednesday is typically one of the lower attendance days of the week.

Total on-track handle rose to $40,361,286 from $35,642,252 in 2006, an increase of 13.2%. The daily average rose 2.9% to $3,669,208 from $3,564,225 in 2006.

Total all-sources handle rose to $180,336,024 from $157,025,033 in 2006, an increase of 14.8%. The daily average rose 4.4%, to $16,394,184 from $15,702,503 in 2006.

Average purses increased 11.2% per day (to $812,641 from $730,471 in 2006) while average field size was up 8.63%, to 9.06 from 8.34 in 2006.

"We continue to be encouraged by these increases in attendance and handle,” said New York Racing Association president and CEO Charles Hayward .  “I think everyone will agree that this meet is off to a spectacular start.”