NEWS
Belmont average handle drops more than 13%
Posted: Thursday, July 30, 2009 1:21 PM
Average daily handle decreased 13.9% during the Belmont Park spring/summer meet that concluded on Saturday.
The all-source handle for 64 days was $629,863,276, down from $662,605,734 for a 58-day meet in 2008. The meet was plagued by incessant rain that forced 77 races off the turf.
Average on-track handle was $991,603, down 17.5% from $1,202,108 in 2008. Total on-track handle was $63,462,612, compared with $69,722,257 last year.
Inclement weather also played a part in a 17.2% dip in average attendance, from 6,752 per card to 5,588. Total attendance was 357,659, down from 391,634 in 2008.
“The Belmont Park spring/summer meet witnessed some tremendous racing performances, such as Summer Bird’s triumph in the Belmont Stakes [G1],” said Charles Hayward, president and chief executive officer of the New York Racing Association. “The real story of the meet, however, was the horrendous weather as evidenced by the remarkable number of 77 races washed off the turf and many more races that could not be carded on the turf due to the unrelenting rain.”
