Santa Anita sees attendance, handle rise on opening day

ARCADIA, Calif. – Attendance and handle figures showed growth on Wednesday’s opening-day program compared to the corresponding day in 2017.

Attendance was 41,373, compared to 40,023 on a Tuesday in 2017, the track announced. The 2016 opening-day crowd was 46,514.

Wednesday’s all-sources handle reached an opening-day record $20,491,016, although the track ran 10 races, one more than in past years. The all-sources handle on opening day in 2017 was $17.2 million. In 2016, all-sources handle on opening day was $18.3 million.

Tim Ritvo, chief operating officer of The Stronach Group, the parent company of Santa Anita, has stressed increasing field sizes and the number of races for the winter-spring meeting. Saturday’s program has 10 races, one more race than the corresponding card last year, and will begin at noon Pacific.

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