Average daily handle up slightly at Ellis Park meet

Daily all-sources wagering handle at the Ellis Park summer meet, which began July 1 and ended Monday, was up marginally from last year, but total wagering was down, partly because of fewer races, according to figures released Wednesday by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.

Gross wagering on the 29 full and partial cards conducted at the meet at Ellis in western Kentucky was $39,073,368, down 4.4 percent from 2017, when 31 full and partial cards were run. Average per-day handle was $1,347,375, up 2.3 percent over last year. Imported simulcasting figures are not included.

Ellis was scheduled to run 30 days this summer, but racing was canceled Aug. 26 due to a water shortage, and the July 5 card was canceled after just two races due to extreme heat. By comparison, 251 races were run this year versus 256 last year.

Purses, subsidized once again in part by Kentucky Downs, reached track-record levels at the 2018 meet, according to racing secretary Dan Bork. The gross was about $6.9 million, up from the former high of $6,223,300 set last year.

Field size at this meet averaged 8.0 horses per race, and favorites won at a 33 percent clip (84 of 251).

On the racetrack, Corey Lanerie was the leading jockey for the third straight summer, riding 30 winners, even after missing the first six dates in the aftermath of his wife’s death. Brad Cox was the leading trainer with 22 wins, and Joey K. Davis led all owners with seven wins.