Business up at Canterbury

Canterbury Park's 2004 meet ended Monday with gains in attendance and total handle.

Average daily attendance for the 67-day meet was 4,977, the highest since current management ran its first live meet in 1995. Last year, attendance averaged 4,806.

Ontrack handle on Canterbury's races averaged $268,513 a day, a nearly 4 percent decrease from last season's average of $279,624. But a 33 percent rise in betting on the Canterbury signal throughout the country offset the decrease in ontrack handle, and resulted in an 8.6 increase in total average handle over last year. Handle on the track's races averaged $529,304, compared to $487,406 last year.

The team of Hugh Robertson and his son Mac took the trainers' title with 53 victories. Derek Bell knocked down his fourth Canterbury riding title, winning aboard 92 of his mounts. Tom and Karen Metzen's Chisholm was named horse of the meet for his gutty win in the Claiming Crown Express.