Los Alamitos reports gain in handle for summer meet

CYPRESS, Calif. – Los Alamitos finished its 12-day summer meeting Sunday with a gain in average all-sources handle over the 2017 meet, according to a track statement, though comparisons with the corresponding meeting last year are difficult to make.

Last July, the track ran a two-week meeting that did not include the Fourth of July. This year, the track held a three-week meeting that included a Fourth of July program. The eight-race July 6 program was halted after two races because of excessive heat.

Los Alamitos did not release extensive handle and attendance data. There was a slight increase in the all-important figure of average field size, from 6.82 runners in July 2017 to 6.9 this year.

“Comparisons between the two meets are difficult because they were of different lengths, although we did have six races canceled,” track vice president Jack Liebau said in a statement.

“In hindsight, I wish we could have been able to fill some of the higher-quality races, but a lot of small owners and trainers got the opportunity to successfully run horses here that they might not have otherwise.”

Unlike Santa Anita or Del Mar, Los Alamitos does not have a turf course. Turf races tend to draw larger fields than dirt races.

In addition, the Los Alamitos summer meeting was sandwiched between the Santa Anita spring-summer meeting, which ran more races than in past years, and the Del Mar summer meeting, which begins Wednesday and is an annual focus for many owners and trainers.

The 18-year-old apprentice jockeys Asa Espinoza and Heriberto Figueroa finished in a tie for first in the jockey standings with 18 wins. Espinoza, the nephew of jockey Victor Espinoza, began riding in February at Santa Anita. Figueroa, who had ridden in Florida and his native Puerto Rico, had his first win in California at Santa Anita in May.

Bob Baffert led all trainers with five wins, one more than Steve Miyadi. Baffert won the two graded stakes at the meeting – the Grade 2 Great Lady M. Stakes for female sprinters with Marley’s Freedom and the Grade 3 Los Alamitos Derby with Once On Whiskey last Saturday.

Baffert has won or tied for first in the trainer standings at Los Alamitos on six occasions since daytime Thoroughbred racing resumed there in July 2014.

Los Alamitos will run the 12-day Los Angeles County Fair meeting from Sept. 6-23 and a two-week autumn meeting in December.