Los Alamitos reports handle decline for L.A. County Fair meet

CYPRESS, Calif. – All-sources handle at the 10-day Los Angeles County Fair meeting at Los Alamitos that concluded on Sunday declined by approximately 6.5 percent compared to 2018, according to track vice-president Jack Liebau.

The 2018 county fair meeting was run over 12 days. This year, the county fair meeting eliminated the first two Thursdays because of concern over the number of available horses. The meeting opened on Sept. 6 and had two three-day racing weeks before a final week that encompassed four days of racing.

Liebau said handle data compared the corresponding days of the 2018 meeting to equal days this year. All-sources handle at venues in Southern California, including on-track, satellite locations and account wagering, rose by 2.7 percent, Liebau said. He said on-track business was “even.”

Liebau said there was a significant decline in out-of-state handle. The track did not release detailed attendance and handle figures. Liebau said out-of-state handle may have been impacted by the increasing popularity of Kentucky Downs, which ran on two days during the county fair meeting.

Average field size declined from 6.84 runners in 103 races at the 2018 meeting to 6.62 runners in 90 races this year, which included two races for Arabians. There were no races for Arabians at the 2018 meeting. Southern California tracks have experienced a downward trend in average field size for Thoroughbreds through the year with tighter restrictions on which horses are permitted to race.

There were two equine fatalities during the meeting, both during races. Free Ricky suffered a leg injury on Sept. 7 and was later euthanized, racing officials said. Sunday, Contratto was euthanized after suffering a back injury when he struck an outside rail and fell heavily.

Contratto unseated jockey Ruben Fuentes at the start of a sprint for maiden claimers and ran freely at the back of the field before colliding with the rail. Contratto was attended to by veterinarians before it was determined he could not be saved, track stewards said.

This is the last year the county fair meeting will be run in September for the foreseeable future. The California Horse Racing Board voted last Thursday for the 2020 meeting to be run in December for the first time. Track owner Ed Allred argued for the county fair meeting to be restored to September next year to follow the statewide county fair circuit, but his appeal was not accepted by the racing board.

Apprentice jockey Jorge Velez led all riders with 14 wins, including four on Sunday’s 10-race program. Velez, 21, finished four wins clear of 19-year-old Assael Espinoza. Velez was the leading rider at the track’s three-week summer meeting.

Hall of Famer Bob Baffert led all trainers with seven wins, one more than Doug O’Neill.