NEWS
Despite handle declines, Santa Anita sees increase in total purses
Posted: Tuesday, April 19, 2011 6:26 PM
SANTA ANITA PARK
Benoit & Associates photo
by Frank Angst
Despite a reduction of eight race days and a total wagering handle decline of more than 20% at the recently completed Santa Anita Park winter-spring meeting, total purses actually increased.
According to statistics from California Horse Racing Information Management System, Horseplayers Association of North America (HANA), and THOROUGHBRED TIMES, Santa Anita not only saw significant declines in total handle—as expected because of a reduction of eight racing dates to 70—but also saw a double-digit percentage decline in average daily wagering handle at its recently concluded winter-spring meeting.
Total handle per race day was down 11.6% to $6,675,562 at the 2010-2011 meeting compared with last season’s corresponding meeting. Total wagering handle for the meet was down 20.7% to $467,289,835.
Despite those declines, horsemen saw improvements. Average daily purses improved 17.1% to $455,022. In fact, despite the reduction in race dates and plummeting total handle, total purses improved 5.1% to $31,851,540.
The meet was the first in Southern California to feature a takeout increase on exotic wagers that ranged from 2% to 3% and was committed to purses. While that takeout increase appears to have improved purses, it upset some horseplayers. To protest the rate increase, HANA supported a wagering boycott on California racing.
“Make no mistake, the takeout increase in California has become a complete and utter failure,” HANA President Jeff Platt said in a blog post on the HANA website. “With each passing day, racing customers everywhere are becoming more and more aware that racing has a high-takeout problem."
The meet also marked the return of dirt racing at Santa Anita as the main-track was converted from a Pro-Ride synthetic surface back to dirt. The return to dirt did not help field sizes. Average field size for main-track races declined 2.9% to 7.52 starters per race.
While purses improved, according to THOROUGHBRED TIMES figures, field sizes did not benefit as the 608 total races (main track and turf) averaged 7.63 starters, down 2.3% from last year’s average of 7.81 starters in 673 races.
Santa Anita President George Haines said the reduction in race days contributed to some horsemen leaving the state, seeking more race dates. He said that impacted field size.
On Sunday, Santa Anita said it did see some improvement in figures later in the meeting, noting that it matched last year’s daily average in on-track attendance, while average daily on-track handle slid 3%.
Frank Angst is senior writer for Thoroughbred Times
