Aqueduct fall handle up 7.6 percent

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The grass indeed proved greener for the New York Racing Association as the 2017 Aqueduct fall meet – the first in four decades with two turf courses – showed gains in all-sources handle compared with 2016.

All-sources handle for the meet was $250,376,535 a 7.6 percent increase over the $232,646,188 handled in 2016. Ontrack handle was $28,099,665, a 2 percent increase over the $27,554,724 handled in 2016.

There were 317 races run over 36 cards at the 2017 Aqueduct fall meet compared with 306 races run over 34 cards at the 2016 fall meet. Thus, average daily all-sources handle was $6,954,904, a 1.6 percent increase over the 2016 figure of $6,842,506. One card of the 2017 fall meet was canceled after the fourth race.

With the addition of a new turf course, Aqueduct conducted 87 turf races in 2017, compared with 64 in 2016. Average field size on the turf was 9.47 in 2017 compared with 10.30 in 2016. Overall, average field size for the 2017 Aqueduct fall season was 7.88 horses per race, down from 8.18 in 2016.

The 2016 fall figures include 12 days when racing was conducted over the inner track. Last summer, the inner track, which was first used in 1975, was replaced by the outer turf course, on which 39 races were run.

Aqueduct’s fall figures would likely have been better if not for the cancellation of two of the final four cards – Dec. 28 and Dec. 31 – and the last five races on Dec. 30.

The cancellations continued in droves to start 2018 as the first six full cards and the last seven races of a seventh card were canceled due to weather- and track-related concerns.