First-month all-sources handle climbs 10 percent

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – All-sources handle for the first month of the Aqueduct fall meet was up 10.1 percent compared to 2016, according to figures provided by the New York Racing Association.

Ontrack handle during that same period was up 3.9 percent.

All-sources handle for 22 racing days from Nov. 3 through Dec. 3 was $175,001,057, compared to $158,902,293 for the same number of racing days in 2016. Ontrack handle was $19,935,473 this year, compared to $19,185,238 a year ago. The figures for 2016 represent the race meet conducted on the main track before racing was transferred to the inner track. The inner track was removed earlier this year and replaced by a second turf course.

The second grass course allowed NYRA to conduct 83 turf races during this period – 87 overall when last week’s racing is factored in – compared to 64 in 2016. There were 201 races run during this period last fall, and the average field size was 8.53 horses per race. There were 203 races run during the opening month of this year’s meet with an average field size of 8.28.

This year, NYRA moved its biggest card of the fall – a four-stakes program topped by the Cigar Mile – back one week. It paid dividends, as combined all-sources handle for the last Saturday of November and first Saturday of December was up $4.1 million compared to the same two Saturdays last fall.