Golden Gate: Daily averages up for the year

Golden Gate Fields showed increases in average daily and total ontrack handle and attendance in 2011.

Average daily ontrack attendance jumped 8.8 percent over 2010, from 2,403 to 2,616.

Average daily ontrack handle improved 2.8 percent, from $436,986 to $449,315.

The all-sources daily handle – which includes ontrack, satellite location, and account betting, showed a 3.4 percent increase in average, from $1,792,436 in 2010 to $1,852,932.

Northern California account wagering showed an increase of 7.3 percent in daily average, and wagering at California’s satellite locations on Golden Gate’s races increased 1.9 percent.

Average field size in 2011 also improved, averaging 6.95 runners compared with 6.80 in 2010.

Gross wagering for the year was down 6.7 percent from 2010, but that was because Golden Gate raced 17 fewer days in 2011 than in 2010.

Interim general manager Joe Morris called the daily increases “great news” and said Golden Gate would continue to concentrate on increasing field size in 2012.