Handle soars 18 percent opening week at Saratoga

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Good weather and good racing led to good business at Saratoga during the opening week of the 2024 Saratoga meet.

All-sources handle for the first four days of the 40-day meet was $97,417,144, an 18.3 percent increase over the $82,353,292 handled during the first four days of the 2023 meet, according to figures provided by the New York Racing Association. Ontrack handle was $13,788,831, a 1.9 percent increase over the $13,527,169 handled in 2023.

Paid admission was 102,028, down 1.5 percent from the figure of 103,561 last year.

Though hot, it has been mostly dry in Saratoga so far this summer. Five turf races were moved to the dirt on Thursday’s opening-day card due to 1.23 inches of rain that fell the previous night. Opening-day itself was dry as were the three subsequent racing days.

There were 43 races -- 16 on turf -- conducted opening week with field size averaging 8.47 horses per race (betting interests averaged 8.30). During opening week of the 2023 meet, there were 41 races held -- 11 on turf, eight off -- with an average field size and betting interests at 7.27.

It was a good opening week for jockey Flavien Prat, who won seven races from 25 mounts to lead all riders. Prat won the Grade 1 Diana on Whitebeam, the Grade 3 Quick Call on Star of Majesty, and the listed Wilton Stakes on Miss Justify.

Jockeys Irad Ortiz Jr. and his brother Jose each won five races opening week.

Four trainers -- Chad Brown, Mark Casse, Cherie DeVaux, and Bill Mott -- each won three races opening week. Brown won the Grade 1 Diana with Whitebeam and the Grade 3 Kelso with Carl Spackler.

Racing resumes at Saratoga Wednesday.

Belmont at the Big A business

All-sources handle during the Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet was $466,299,654, down 16.4 percent from the $560,363,986 handled at the 2023 Belmont Park spring/summer meet, according to figures provided by NYRA.

The figures are for 35 cards of racing that included the four programs held at Saratoga from June 6-9 which included the June 8 Belmont Stakes card. The other 31 cards were held at Aqueduct as the massive renovation project of Belmont Park continues.

There were 35 racing cards held in 2024 with 338 races compared to 38 cards and 368 races held at Belmont in 2023. Average field size in 2024 was 7.54 (betting interests averaged 7.46) compared to average field size of 7.68 (betting interests 7.60) in 2023.

There were 123 turf races run with 26 scheduled turf races rained off to the dirt in 2024, compared to 181 turf races run and 14 off in 2023.

Following the conclusion of the Saratoga meet on Sept. 2, racing returns to Aqueduct on Sept. 13.