Business up sharply at Saratoga meet

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – A quarter of the way through the 147th Saratoga meet, and business is booming, with double-digit increases in all-sources and ontrack handle.

Through the first 10 days of the 40-day meet, all-sources handle on Saratoga’s races was $159,069,259, an 18.2 percent increase over the $134,505,987 handled through the same time period last year. Ontrack handle was $39,068,593, a 19 percent increase from 2014, when handle was $32,831,717.

Saratoga has benefitted from terrific weather this summer, with only four races having to be moved from the turf to the dirt. There have been 48 turf races run, including two steeplechase events. Last year through this same point, 41 turf races, including two jump races, had been run, with 10 having to be taken off the turf.

Field size and the number of betting interests are up significantly as well. The average field size has been 8.68 through 102 races this summer compared with 7.97 through 101 races run in 2014. There have been 880 betting interests, a 10 percent increase from the 800 through this point last year.

There have been three multiple-day carryovers in the pick six at this meet. Entering Wednesday’s card, there was a two-day carryover of $206,133.

Total paid attendance this summer was reported at 274,618, a 36.3 percent increase over the 201,421 reported through this time last year. In its attendance figures, the New York Racing Association counts approximately 8,400 season-pass holders as well as a number of season box-seat holders whether they are in attendance or not.

Saratoga hosts a fabulous renewal of the Whitney Stakes on Saturday, and on Aug. 29 it will present an enhanced Travers Day card with more graded stakes than in years past. And, of course, management and fans in this region anxiously await a decision on whether Triple Crown winner American Pharoah will come for the Grade 1 Travers.