Handle decreases at Hawthorne meet

Average daily all-sources handle declined modestly compared with 2015 during the winter-spring meet at Hawthorne that ended April 29, but gross handle for the meeting was down sharply because of a reduction in race days.

During a 22-day meet that, for accounting purposes, included two days in January that more naturally would have been part of the 2015 fall-winter meet, Hawthorne averaged $1,376,531 in daily all-sources handle. That number was down 4.3 percent from the $1,443,330 that Hawthorne averaged during the winter-spring meet in 2015. Last year’s meet included 34 programs for gross handle of about $49.1 million. Gross handle at this meeting was just $30.3 million, down 38.4 percent.

Average starters per race actually increased from 6.67 last spring to 6.96 this year. Hawthorne ran 11 turf races last spring and 13 this year.

Scott Becker won the training title, and since Becker is a private trainer, his owner, William Stiritz, also led the meet. Edgar Perez was the leading rider with one winner more than Victor Santiago.