Handle on all horse races in California, number of racing days, starters, and average field size declined during the 2016-2017 season compared to 2015-2016, according to data released by the California Horse Racing Board on Tuesday. The data was part of an annual report published on the racing board’s website providing an overview on a variety of business and sporting activities in California’s Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, and harness racing circuits. The report stated that there were 206 equine fatalities at all racing board-sanctioned tracks and training centers during the fiscal year from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017, virtually unchanged from 205 fatalities in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016. Handle fell by a fraction of 1 percent during the 2016-2017 season. Handle at Thoroughbred tracks, the Quarter Horse and lower-level Thoroughbred night meeting at Los Alamitos, and harness racing in Sacramento was $3,054,376,842 from Dec. 21, 2016, to Dec. 19, 2017. For a similar period encompassing most of 2016, the handle was $3,076,945,840. The number of race days, average starters per race, and races run reached recent lows last season. There were 608 race days last season, compared to 630 in 2015-2016. Average field size fell from 7.35 in 2015-2016 to 7.19 in 2016-2017, while the number of races run fell from 5,489 to 5,358. Weather was a leading factor in the declines. California had an especially wet winter in early 2017, which led to cancellations of some racing days. Santa Anita later struggled to fill races, losing four days of racing in the spring. Santa Anita led all tracks in handle, with $1,091,636,907, a gain of 4 percent over 2015-2016, according to the annual report. The track operated for 103 days, third behind Golden Gate Fields (147) and the Los Alamitos night meeting (146). The number of equine fatalities has fluctuated significantly in the last decade. There were 187 fatalities in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, and 199 in the year ending June 30, 2014. The figure was as high as 278 in the 2011-2012 fiscal year. In the 2016-17 fiscal year, there were 64 fatalities at Santa Anita – 26 in races, 28 in training, and 10 other reported incidents, which included illness. There were 56 at Los Alamitos – 22 in races, 18 in training, and 16 for other reasons. There were 23 fatalities at Del Mar – 12 during races and 11 in training. There were 35 fatalities at Golden Gate Fields, including 13 in races and nine in training.