All-sources handle at Belmont fall meet up nearly 20 percent over last year

All-sources handle for the recently concluded Belmont Park fall meet was $320,746,749, which represents a 19.7 percent increase from the 2020 meet and a 16.6 percent increase over the 2019 meet, according to the New York Racing Association.

Originally scheduled for 28 days, the Belmont 2021 fall meet was extended by three days to allow fans to watch and wager on last week’s Breeders’ Cup races from Del Mar. Over 31 cards, Belmont conducted 299 races, with 143 on turf and 16 scheduled for the turf that were rained off to the main track. Average field size was 8.12 horses per race.

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At the 2020, fall meet - during which fans were not allowed onsite due to COVID-19 restrictions - all-sources handle was $267,942,961 over 27 days of racing. There were 267 races run, 118 on turf with 24 rained off the turf, and average field size was 7.92 horses per race.

All-sources handle at the 2019 Belmont fall meet was $274,929,718. Over 37 cards, there were 324 races run, 158 on turf with 14 scheduled for the turf rained off to the dirt. Average field size for the meet was 7.34 horses per race.

Ontrack handle at the 2021 meet was $30,463,824, down from the $32,423,572 handled ontrack in 2019.

Average daily handle at this fall’s Belmont meet was $10,346,669, a 4.3 percent increase compared to $9,923,813 in 2020 and a 39.2 percent increase over the 2019 figure of $7,430,533.