Del Mar business continues to increase

DEL MAR, Calif. – Pick six carryovers have translated into box office success for Del Mar, whose handle figures are continuing to increase as the meet progresses, with overall handle now up 11 percent through Sunday, encompassing the first three weeks of the meet.

A two-day pick six carryover going into Saturday’s races spurred more than $2.4 million in fresh money that day alone in the pick six, and helped contribute to an overall handle average of $12,968,426 per day compared to $11,679,037 through the first 15 days last year, a gain of 11 percent.

The ontrack numbers also are up, to $2,550,789 per day from last year’s $2,347,576, an increase of 8.7 percent.

Those handle figures are no doubt benefiting from an overall increase in field size, with 8.6 runners on average per race this year compared to 8.3 a year ago.

Del Mar is in line for another huge day on Wednesday, with a large pick six carryover from Sunday and two dark days for players to replenish their bankrolls.

Ontrack attendance is down slightly, to an average of 18,829 per day compared to 19,268 per day a year ago, a dip of 2.2 percent.