2022 Saratoga meet closes with record handle of $878,211,963

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The rain that fell here Monday was an outlier for the last eight weeks and couldn’t dampen what was yet again a record-setting summer at Saratoga.

All-sources handle for the 40-day meet was $878,211,963, a 7.7 percent increase over last year’s previous record of $815,508,063. Ontrack handle, which includes money bet through NYRA Bets from New York residents, was $152,274,728, an increase of 10.5 percent over the 2021 figure of $137,765,882. Paid admissions, which counts season passes sold, was 1,075,586, up 2.7 percent from the 2021 figure.

There were 417 races run this meet, one more than last year. There were 199 races run on turf, the most since 211 were run in 2015. Only 17 scheduled turf races – including Monday’s ninth – were moved to the dirt, the fewest since eight were taken off in 2015. In 2021, there were 174 turf races run, 45 taken off.

Ironically, NYRA this year unveiled the Wilson Chute, which allows for one-mile dirt races to be run, primarily to be utilized for off-the-turf races. NYRA ran 31 races out of the chute.

“If you look at our racing numbers and the statistics, they’re pretty much in line with last year,” NYRA president and CEO Dave O’Rourke said in a Sunday interview with Daily Racing Form. “The big difference is the weather, off-the-turf, which was a benefit on this year’s number.”

:: DRF's Saratoga headquarters – Stakes schedule, previews, recaps, past performances, and more

Overall field size for the 417 races run averaged 7.86 starters per race, compared to 7.82 last year in 416 races.

In 2017, all-sources handle was a then-record $682,120,869. Since then, all-sources handle has increased 28.7 percent in five years. O’Rourke believes one of the biggest drivers of that increase is getting NYRA’s races regularly on television, something that began in 2016.

“It has brought in a baseline level that is just higher than it was five years prior,” O’Rourke said.

O’Rourke said the key to future handle growth is continuing to distribute NYRA’s races on platforms it has previously not been, such as online sportsbooks.

”When we budget year to year you never really want to budget a record,” O’Rourke said. “But now it’s getting to the point where we’re solidly in the $800 million [range] and as we look forward, going into next year and the years after, how do we get to a billion? You have to place markers out there, and that’s the next big number. You could say $900 million, but really the focus is how do we get to a billion?”

One way would be to extend the meet, something that is rumored each year. The fact that NYRA is beginning a multi-year, multi-phase renovation of Belmont Park only serves to strengthen those rumors. However, on Sunday, O’Rourke said there are no plans to extend the meet beyond the current 40-day, eight-week format.

“There’s no doubt that a day up here with the Saratoga brand on it is going to be more powerful, it’s just the most powerful brand in U.S. horse racing,” O’Rourke said. “However, there’s always the concern of the dilution effect of something like this. As we sit here now, it’s 40 days at Saratoga. As we get further into the Belmont development and nothing we have slated in now – and that’s specifically [refurbishing] the tracks – would disrupt that for now. Once we get into the building, there’s the potential to have another conversation.”

:: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match and FREE Formulator PPs! Join DRF Bets.

While the Belmont Park renovation is NYRA’s main capital project, it will continue its refurbishing, or modernizing, if you will, of Saratoga. This year, the two-tiered Post Bar, located outside the paddock, made its debut. While business was robust on the ground floor, O’Rourke said the second-floor area didn’t always attain capacity. It was built primarily for large groups – one group of 80 or two groups of 40. When they didn’t sell to groups, individual tables were sold.

“The numbers from this year I’d say we’re going to be able to improve on and it could be double-digit-percentage improvements,” O’Rourke said. “We’ll have a better idea of how the space works and the demand, and we’ll have much more lead time to market it.”

O’Rourke said there is a three- to five-year plan to refurbish the grandstand. Among the offseason projects that figure to be done by next year is a redoing of the first-floor Jim Dandy bar as well as finish line concessions in the clubhouse.

“I’m looking at the next five years, there’s a big project in the grandstand to go through it and update it, but in a way that is respectful to history and the character itself,” O’Rourke said.

While amenities are important, so is the racing. On the track, Epicenter ascended to the top of the 3-year-old division with victories in the Jim Dandy and Travers. Nest vaulted to the head of the 3-year-old filly division with victories in the Coaching Club and Alabama.

Jackie’s Warrior won the Grade 1 Amsterdam to become the first horse in the graded stakes era to win a Grade 1 at Saratoga in three successive years. He then was upset by Cody’s Wish in the Grade 1 Forego, a not-so-subtle reminder that, refurbished or not, Saratoga can still be the Graveyard of Champions.

Irad Ortiz Jr. won his fourth Saratoga riding title, booting home 54 winners, 15 of those in stakes (10 graded) including Monday’s Grade 1 Hopeful. His meet highlights included Grade 1 wins aboard Life Is Good (Whitney), Nest (Coaching Club American Oaks and Alabama), and Goodnight Olive (Ballerina).

The 15 stakes equal a record first set by John Velazquez in 2005 and equaled earlier this meet by Joel Rosario. Rosario, who didn’t ride here the last two days, set a single Saratoga meet record with 12 graded stakes wins, including five Grade 1s topped by the Travers on Epicenter. Rosario finished fourth in wins with 39, one behind Luis Saez and Flavien Prat, who each won 40. Prat, riding this meet full-time for the first time this year, won four races on Monday’s closing-day card.

The veteran Velazquez notched a Saratoga milestone of his own on Aug. 25, recording his 1,000th career victory at the track.

Chad Brown won his fifth trainer’s title winning 42 races, including 12 stakes. He won three Grade 1s – the Diana with In Italian, the H. Allen Jerkens with Jack Christopher, and the Ballerina with Goodnight Olive. Finishing behind Brown were Todd Pletcher (38) – who won five Grade 1 races including Monday’s Hopeful – Christophe Clement (18), Bill Mott, and Mike Maker (16 each).

Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stables was the leading owner for the fifth straight year with 16 wins. He was followed by Michael Dubb (14), Mike Repole (9), Peter Brant (9) and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Winchell Thoroughbreds (7 each).

Following nine dark days, racing on this circuit will move to Aqueduct, which will host the 28-day Belmont Park fall meet beginning Sept. 15 as construction of a vehicular and pedestrian tunnel continues at Belmont.