Field size, handle rise at fall meet

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Churchill Downs has struggled with filling races in recent years, as track officials have consistently cited the competition from tracks with slot machines as the most compelling factor, but this fall was a notable exception to the recent rule. From the Nov. 1 opener through the 12-race finale here Sunday, fields have been inordinately large. Through Thursday (18 of 21 programs), field size averaged 9.4 horses per race, and there still were 36 races – most with big fields – to be run Friday through Sunday.

For Sunday, there are 139 horses on the program, including nine also-eligibles, perpetuating a meet-long trend. Back-to-back allowances (races 10 and 11) anchor a closing-day card that starts at 12:40 p.m. Eastern.

“It’s been something of a perfect storm,” said Churchill media relations director Darren Rogers. “Creating a September meet has meant more stables are here for the entire fall, and I’m sure it’s helped that we’ve been back on TVG for the first time since 2007 with coordinated efforts to assimilate post times with tracks such as Aqueduct and Gulfstream.”

In addition, along with the usual increased availability of more mature 2-year-olds in the fall, stables that typically have raced at this time of year in Chicago and elsewhere are at Churchill because of higher purses, including the stables of Chris Richard, Chris Hartman, Roger Brueggemann, and Ingrid Mason.

Field averages for recent meets at Churchill were 8.56 in the fall of 2014, 7.82 last spring, and 7.99 in September.

Not surprisingly, handle is up this fall. Churchill-owned tracks typically do not release business figures, but a quick study suggests that per-day handle will be up substantially over comparable numbers from the 2014 fall meet when the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission makes those figures known early next week.

With the meet ending Sunday, all jackpot wagers will have mandatory payouts, most notably the new 20-cent single six wager. Into Friday, the carryover stood at $172,008 after having last been swept Nov. 7. The single six is offered on the last six races daily.

◗ With far more entries on the last three programs, chances are high that either Steve Asmussen or Mike Maker will overtake Chris Richard for leading trainer at this meet.

Nonetheless, it was a colossal month for Richard, who won another race Thursday to move his meet record to 10 for 25. The former assistant to Tom Amoss will be among the many trainers shipping his stable to the Fair Grounds meet in New Orleans after racing concludes here Sunday.

Into Friday, Richard held a tenuous lead over Asmussen (9 wins) and Maker (8). For the last three days here, Asmussen had 16 entries, Maker had 14, and Richard had five.