The total handle during Arlington Park's 12-race card on Saturday's International Festival of Racing was $15,257,859, the second highest on a non-Breeders' Cup day in Illinois history. The record of $15,851,625 was established last year. The 2003 figure includes $290,784 from France, who wagered on the International Festival for the first time ever.
On track, the 28,614 fans in attendance wagered $2,825,894 on Saturday's 12 races. In 2002, $2,826,212 of the record handle was wagered at Arlington Park by the 27,432 in attendance on Arlington Million Day.