Fewer race days means lower handle in June for California tracks

DEL MAR, Calif. – A decline in Thoroughbred racing days led to a significant drop in all-sources handle at all California tracks in the first six months of 2019, according to figures released at the California Horse Racing Board meeting on July 18.

Handle at Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, and Standardbred meetings reached $1.38 billion on 282 programs compared to $1.58 billion on 311 programs in 2018, a decline of 12.1 percent. The average daily handle was down 3.1 percent to $4,924,072. The figures include ontrack, simulcast, and account-wagering sources.

Total handle on Thoroughbred races was $1.23 billion, a decline of 12.6 percent from $1.41 billion in 2018.

Santa Anita canceled 23 days of racing in the first half of the year. The track did not race for 13 days in March while the main track underwent inspection and renovation following a series of equine fatalities in the preceding weeks. The track later canceled nine Thursday programs in the spring because of concern over the number of available horses.

Los Alamitos postponed the start of its three-week summer Thoroughbred meeting by two days, from June 27 to June 29, because of concern over a lack of available runners. (The track later canceled a day of racing July 11 because of insufficient entries).

The nighttime Standardbred meeting in Sacramento and the Quarter Horse and lower-level Thoroughbred meeting at Los Alamitos had a combined 104 racing days, down from 110 in the first six months of 2018. Handle at those venues was $152.2 million through June compared with $165.1 million in a similar period in 2018, a decline of 7.8 percent.