Lone Star concerts draw big crowds

Opening week at Lone Star finished with high attendance Friday and Saturday, with Equibase reporting crowds of 15,633 Friday and 17,000 Saturday. Those crowds were bolstered by popular concerts both evenings. With a good percentage of the fans there for the music, per-capita wagering was low. Ontrack handle was $335,125 on Friday and $487,775 on Saturday, also per Equibase figures.

By way of comparison, without a concert on opening night this past Thursday, 6,145 fans attended and wagered $343,207.

Saturday’s card was conducted at night in a change from last year, when racing took place Saturday afternoons. The first post time was changed in part to make the Lone Star racing signal more attractive in a crowded simulcast marketplace, and it was successful from that standpoint. Offtrack wagering was $981,394, up more than 85 percent from last year’s $528,784 for the first Saturday of the meet.

Ontrack wagering grew from $442,445, reflecting a 10 percent increase.

On Saturday night, racegoers saw Lasting Bubbles win the featured Wayne Hanks Memorial by 4 1/4 lengths under Chris Rosier for trainer Kevin Peek and owner Judy Peek. Lasting Bubbles also won the race last year when it was called the JEH Stallion Station Stakes.