Los Alamitos reports gain in handle

Los Alamitos on Sunday concluded a two-week summer Thoroughbred meeting with a gain of approximately 25 percent in all-sources handle, according to track vice-president Jack Liebau.

Liebau said the track compared comparable days from the 2019 summer meeting, which had nine days of racing over three weeks. This year’s meeting had seven days in two weeks.

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The track did not release detailed handle information. The meeting was run without ontrack spectators because of the coronavirus outbreak, with handle generated from a small network of simulcast locations in California, simulcasting from other tracks nationwide, and account-wagering sources.

Betting through the California simulcast network was curtailed over the Fourth of July weekend following the closure of Santa Anita for offtrack betting by order of Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on July 1. Los Alamitos had hoped to open for simulcasting wagering on Monday, but Liebau said on Sunday that the opening has postponed indefinitely after Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered some businesses closed on July 1 because of a rise in coronavirus cases in the state.

Liebau said simulcasting will begin at Los Alamitos “when virus problems subside.”

Liebau projected that purses would be slightly underpaid at the summer meeting. Fields averaged 7.09 runners for 57 races compared to 6.49 runners in 78 races at the 2019 summer meeting.

“That helps a lot,” Liebau said.

This was the first time the track surpassed an average of seven runners per races since the December 2018 meeting averaged 7.44 runners.

Juan Hernandez and Edwin Maldonado tied for the riding title with six wins each. Hernandez recently relocated from Golden Gate Fields where he was the leading rider at the track’s winter-spring meeting, which ended last month.

Bob Baffert led all trainers with four wins, including Saturday’s Grade 3 Los Alamitos Derby with the promising colt Uncle Chuck.

It is unclear when Los Alamitos will resume racing. The track will have a three-week meeting in December, but is hoping to run a brief meeting in September if Santa Anita relinquishes racing dates on the weekends following the conclusion of the Del Mar summer meeting, which begins on Friday and ends on Sept. 7.

Santa Anita officials said last month that they may postpone the start of their autumn meeting to create a gap after the end of Del Mar.

The issue is expected to be discussed at a California Horse Racing Board meeting on Aug. 20, but Liebau said on Sunday he is hoping for a resolution before then.