Breeders' Cup boosts handle at California tracks

CYPRESS, Calif. – Boosted by the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita on Nov. 4-5, handle at California tracks soared in November and showed an increase for the year through the end of November, according to data presented at Thursday’s California Horse Racing Board meeting.

Handle at all state tracks reached $2.83 billion, an increase of 1.1 percent over a similar period in 2015. Handle at Thoroughbred meetings was $2.55 billion, an increase of 1.2 percent, while handle at the night meetings of Standardbreds at Cal-Expo and Quarter Horses and lower-level Thoroughbreds at Los Alamitos was $276.6 million, a gain of only 0.1 percent.

For many months earlier this year, handle figures trailed the 2015 season by a few percentage points. Comparisons with 2015 are not direct. Last year, the Breeders’ Cup was held at Keeneland. In 2017, the Breeders’ Cup will be at Del Mar on Nov. 3-4.