Monmouth handle declines

Betting handle and attendance at Monmouth Park's 78-day meeting that concluded Sunday declined from last year's meet, according to the track.

Ontrack handle for the 2002 live cards averaged $785,976 this year, a 15.7 percent drop from last season. Ontrack handle on live and simulcast races averaged $1,466,065, a drop of 10 percent. Total handle on Monmouth races averaged $3,450,861, a drop of 12.7 percent from 2001. Total handle from all sources on Monmouth races and simulcasts averaged $4,130,950, down 11.1 percent from the previous year.

Attendance averaged 9,838 this year, down 8 percent from the 2001 average of 10,658. Monmouth raced eight more days this year than last.

Tim Hills won his first training title at Monmouth with 28 victories. Eibar Coa earned his second consecutive riding title with 82 wins.