Despite shortened season, Woodbine posts third-highest handle ever

ETOBICOKE, Ontario -- The 2021 handle on live Thoroughbred racing at Woodbine produced an all-sources handle of $505,348,339, the third-highest season total in Woodbine’s history.

For the second consecutive year, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a shortened season, as the 2021 meet was delayed until June 12. Originally scheduled for 133 race dates, the 2021 meet ran for 99 days, three more than last year, and 946 races were contested. The foreign wagering handle of $420,666,755 was the highest ever at the meet, undoubtedly fueled by an excellent average field size of 9.02 starters.

“Growing and strengthening the Woodbine brand across North America has been a focal point of our day-to-day activities over the past several years,” said Woodbine Entertainment CEO Jim Lawson. “We’re proud of our success in this area, as it’s evident these efforts continue to raise the profile of our world-class racing product at Woodbine.

“Although our gains in the U.S. are considerable, we’re intently focused on revitalizing wagering in our home market area for 2022. Through evolving restrictions, we now have our racetracks and off-track locations operating, while also sporting our largest number of HPIbet users ever. Our task now is to leverage all options available in 2022 to push this area towards sustainability.”

There was a 4.8 percent increase in average per-race handle, which came in at $534,194 for 2021.

“Our racing team did a great job in creating appealing and competitive races throughout the entire season,” said Lawson. “The support of the owners and trainers through these hard times deserves recognition and our commitment to providing the best overall experience to those racing at Woodbine will only heighten in 2022.”

Last Sunday’s 14-race handle of $8,530,593 was a record for a closing-day card.

The Sept. 18 Woodbine Mile card also yielded a record handle for that day of $13,856,030.

The Queen’s Plate Day handle of $16,122,170 on Aug. 22 was the second highest ever and was 11 percent more than in 2020.