Del Mar business up going into last week of meet

DEL MAR, Calif. – The Del Mar summer meeting is all but certain to show an increase in all-sources handle when the season concludes Monday.

Through Sunday, the 30th day of the 36-day season, all-sources handle, including ontrack, satellite and account-wagering sources, had improved 7.8 percent over the 2016 season, according to Josh Rubinstein, Del Mar’s chief operating officer.

Rubinstein said the ontrack handle showed an increase of 1.8 percent, while ontrack attendance was down less than 1 percent.

Larger fields have helped to increase handle. Races have averaged 8.43 starters through Sunday compared to 8.11 starters through a similar period last year. The 2016 season ended with an average of 8.31 starters.

Last Sunday, the track had a record pool of $2,056,669 in the 50-cent pick four, far beyond the previous mark of $1,576,876, set Aug. 19, the day of the $1 million Pacific Classic.

Rubinstein attributed the massive rise to “out-of-state, high-volume customers” wagering through satellite and account-wagering sources.

“If there is going to be an increase, those are the folks that look to do it,” he said.

The pick four paid $827.30 after wins by Beautiful Shot ($16.40), Bird Is the Word ($5.60), Sir Samson ($6.20), and Action Hero ($25.40). The pick four races drew fields of 10, 10, 9, and 10.