California handle down slightly this year

DEL MAR, Calif. – Handle at California tracks has failed to keep pace with business in 2016 through July, according to statistics provided at Thursday’s California Horse Racing Board meeting.

Betting at daytime Thoroughbred and fair meetings, the evening mixed meetings at Los Alamitos, and harness racing at Sacramento totaled $1.715 billion through July, down 1.94 percent from $1.749 billion through the first seven months of 2016. There was one fewer day of afternoon racing and three fewer programs in the evening in 2017.

Handle on daytime Thoroughbred and fair meetings reached $1.531 billion through July, a decline of 2.19 percent.

In July, handle showed smaller declines. Betting at all venues was $284.5 million, a decline of 1 percent from 2016. Betting on daytime meetings was $259.7 million, a decline of 0.33 percent from last year.