Del Mar handle inched up at summer meet; attendance, field size boomed

All-sources handle reached $579.2 million at the 31-day summer meeting at Del Mar, which ended on Sunday, a figure that includes simulcasting during a brief period before the season began on July 22.

Handle rose 1.5 percent over the corresponding period in the summer of 2021, the track said in a statement.

Attendance for the 31-day season was 278,702, a 16.1 percent increase from 240,030 in 2021.

Attendance at the beginning of the 2021 season was restricted to tickets purchased in advance because of pandemic restrictions and later amended to include walk-up admissions. There were no restrictions on attendance this year other than on opening day, which was limited to 21,680 to ensure a better experience for customers in making bets or getting drinks and food.

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There were two days of notably strong handle figures. The July 22 opening day had a handle of $23.5 million, the highest in history for a first day of the season.

The Sept. 3 Pacific Classic program had an all-sources handle of $27.8 million, the second highest on a non-Breeders’ Cup program in track history.

Fields averaged a record 9.14 runners per race, compared to 8.45 at the 2021 summer meeting.

Financial incentives played a major role in bigger fields. Del Mar offered increased overnight purses for the summer meeting, and enhanced a bonus program for shippers designed to lure horses from other states and countries.

A record 222 horses were brought to Del Mar from other circuits, above the previous record of 186 set in the summer of 2021, the track reported.

Juan Hernandez led all riders with 49 wins, well clear of Umberto Rispoli, who was second with 27. Remarkably, Flavien Prat, who had won or tied for the title at the summer meeting five times from 2016 to 2021, finished 10th in the standings with 10 wins even though he rode only four days of the season, all in September.

Prat announced in the spring that he was relocating to the East Coast. He finished second in the standings at the Saratoga meeting, which ended on Sept. 5.

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Prat rode Flightline to a 19 1/4-length win in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Sept. 3, the track’s only annual $1 million race. Flightline, the nation’s leading older male, remained unbeaten in five starts.

Bob Baffert and Phil D’Amato tied for the training title with 19 wins, two more than Peter Miller and Doug O’Neill.

The partnership of Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman led all owners with nine wins, including Sunday’s Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity with the Baffert-trained Cave Rock.

Southern California racing resumes on Friday with a two-week meeting at Los Alamitos. Del Mar will host a four-week autumn meeting from Nov. 11 to Dec. 4.