Del Mar shows sizable handle increase for meet despite racing fewer days and with no fans

Del Mar completed a 27-day summer meeting on Monday, the first without paying spectators, with a gain in all-sources handle boosted by account wagering, according to data released by the track.

The coronavirus pandemic left Del Mar without its typical large enthusiastic audience and with a revamped schedule of racing largely on a Friday-through-Sunday basis over a nine-week season that began on July 10. The track lost the weekend of July 17-19 because of a coronavirus outbreak in the jockeys' room, but later added two days of racing on Mondays as compensation.

Del Mar announced all-sources handle reached $466.6 million this year, compared to $431.9 million during a 36-day summer meeting in 2019. Average daily handle was $17.2 million, a gain from $12 million in 2019, but the comparisons are difficult to assess since the 2019 summer meeting largely consisted of racing on a Wednesday-through-Sunday schedule.

Handle for the meeting benefited from Saturday’s simulcast of the Kentucky Derby program from Churchill Downs, which contributed to an all-sources handle of $24.8 million, the track announced. The figure is the fourth-highest handle in track history on a non-Breeders’ Cup day.

Prior to the start of the meeting, the track reduced overnight purses by 20 percent and slashed purses for several stakes, notably reducing the Grade 1 Pacific Classic from $1 million to $500,000. Overnight purses were increased by 10 percent at the end of July, retroactive to the start of the meeting, which cut in half the reduction announced before the season.

Del Mar has not announced the overnight purse scheduled for its autumn meeting, which begins on Oct. 31.

With no paying spectators this summer, and only a small group of owners allowed to attend on days their horses were racing, ontrack handle was negligible. For example, the track announced ontrack handle of $276,653 for Monday’s 11-race program, which had an all-sources handle of $15.6 million.

The bulk of the handle came from account wagering sources, and a limited amount of simulcast locations. The track said account wagering rose by 125 percent from California bettors compared to the summer of 2019. Detailed figures were not provided.

Del Mar is part of a majority of tracks in the nation that have operated in recent months without spectators because of the coronavirus outbreak. The situation is unlikely to change in California in the near future, with most counties restricted from having indoor dining or limiting the number of people that can be served.

Racetracks, or sports stadiums, are in the final tier of the state’s reopening plans, which appear to be months away, at best.

Despite conducting fewer race days this year, the track ran nearly the same number of races. This summer, there were 282 races, which averaged 8.36 runners per race. At the 2019 summer meeting, the track ran 297 races, which averaged 7.99 runners per race.

Flavien Prat was leading rider with 50 wins, one more than Umberto Rispoli, who relocated from Hong Kong to California last December and rode his first Del Mar meeting this summer. Prat and Rispoli dominated the standings, finishing well clear of third-place Abel Cedillo, who won 30 races.

Prat, 28, has won or tied for leading rider at four of the last five Del Mar summer meetings. Prat won a record 15 stakes at the meeting, beating Rafael Bejarano’s mark of 13 stakes wins in 2012.

Peter Miller, 53, led all trainers with 28 victories, his fourth title at a summer meeting. Phil D’Amato was second with 20 wins.

Maximum Security, who won the San Diego Handicap and Pacific Classic, was named Horse of the Meeting.