Bay Meadows numbers slip

SAN MATEO, Calif. - The recently concluded 55-day Bay Meadows meeting had a slight decrease in handle from 2002.

A total of $135.9 million was wagered on live and imported races ontrack, in the northern California off-track network, and through advance deposit wagering, compared with $137 million in 2002.

Bay Meadows officials pointed to the rainiest April in 20 years and its effect on field size as a possible reason for the .8 percent decrease in total handle.

Ontrack attendance declined by 3.9 percent to an average of 3,331 fans per day, but the Memorial Day crowd of 10,157 was the largest ontrack attendance since Labor Day of 1995.