Lone Star average daily handle down markedly, primarily due to impasse with HISA

Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, opened its 25th anniversary season with a great deal of expectation in April, but a subsequent impasse between the Texas Racing Commission and Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority that restricted the export of its signal in July led to a decline in handle over the corresponding meet in 2021.

Lone Star handled an average of $1,144,439 a day on its races during the 45-date meet that ended Sunday, according to independently compiled figures that reflect handle in the United States and Canada. By comparison, the average daily handle over last season’s 48 dates was $1,693,524. Daily Racing Form has requested handle figures from Lone Star.

During this year’s meet, there were three canceled cards, while another date featured just one race before being canceled due to extreme heat that plagued the final stretch of the meet. The heat led to a first post of 11 a.m. Central on most Saturdays and Sundays.

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Lone Star’s simulcast signal was restricted to Texas racetracks and international sites like Woodbine beginning July 2, the track’s first live card following the start of HISA. The Texas Racing Commission announced in June it would not allow the state’s Thoroughbred races to be simulcast out of state so as not to fall under the jurisdiction of HISA.

As such, Lone Star’s races were conducted only under the jurisdiction of the racing commission, which the agency said is state law, according to reporting by Matt Hegarty of Daily Racing Form.

Lone Star was averaging $1,449,832 a day on its races for the first 33 dates of the meet through the end of June. For the 12 dates the track ran in July – including the Summer Turf Festival of four stakes worth $750,000 on July 16 - the average daily handle was $304,612. Both handle numbers reflect betting in the U.S. and Canada. Lone Star’s races went into a limited number of other sites.

On the track, the End Zone Athletics stable headed by Karl Broberg was the meet’s leading owner with 16 wins, according to standings from Lone Star. The second-leading owner by wins was L and G Racing with 11.

Steve Asmussen, who is the all-time leading trainer at his home track of Lone Star, locked up this meet’s title with 57 wins from 242 starts. He also led all trainers in stable earnings with $1,995,313, according to statistics from Daily Racing Form.

Asmussen won six stakes, including the meet’s richest race, the Grade 3, $400,000 Steve Sexton Mile, with Silver Prospector on Lone Star Million Day on May 30. Broberg was the second-leading trainer at the meet, with 34 wins from 221 starts.

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Stewart Elliott won the riding title with 63 wins from 263 starts. He also led all jockeys in mount earnings, with $2,061,867, and stakes wins, with seven. The second-leading rider with 35 wins from 219 mounts was Ry Eikleberry.

There were 152 claims during the season, for $1,752,250 in transactions between stables, according to numbers provided by Lone Star. The track reported average field size was 7.7 horses per race. There were 402 races conducted, and favorites won at a rate of 32.8 percent.

Daily Racing Form has submitted a request for average daily purses this meet, which were projected to be more than $260,000.

Lone Star opens a meet for Quarter Horses on Sept. 16.