Golden Gate up over last year

Golden Gate Fields's 62-day meeting that ended Sunday averaged $4,148,199 in all-sources handle daily. The meeting, the first using a synthetic Tapeta surface, started on Nov. 7.

All-sources handle, which includes betting of all kinds on Golden Gate races as well as by Golden Gate customers on incoming simulcasts, totaled $257,188,329. That was a 9.4 percent increase over corresponding 62 dates in 2006-07, when races were run at both Golden Gate Fields and Bay Meadows.

Ontrack wagering, which Golden Gate defines as betting on its races and Santa Anita simulcasts, dipped just under 1 percent from a year ago. Golden Gate's general manager, Robert Hartman, attributed the drop to eight canceled days at Santa Anita because of problems with its surface. Hartman said the handle at Golden Gate Fields when Santa Anita did not run was down 25 to 30 percent.