Saratoga continues run of boffo business

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Beautiful weather and big fields continue to help Saratoga show massive gains in all-sources and ontrack handle at the 2015 meeting.

Through Monday, the 16th day of the 40-day meet, total all-sources handle was $260,416,784, a 19.1 percent increase over last year’s total of $218,610,182. Total ontrack handle was $64,795,603, a 17.9 percent increase over last year’s figure of $54,954,653.

Last Saturday’s Whitney Day card had an all-sources handle of $29,347,132, compared with $27,786,033 the previous year. Ontrack handle on the Whitney program – which like last year had 11 races – was $7,337,989, up from $7,067,663 in 2014.

There have been 163 races run at this meet, compared to 161 through the first 16 days last year. There have been 81 races run on the grass, including four steeplechase events, with only four scheduled turf races having been rained off to the dirt. At this time last summer, Saratoga had conducted 68 turf races, with 15 having been rained off the turf and run on the main track.

There have been 1,449 starters at the meet for an average field size of 8.89, compared to 1,300 starters through this time last year for an average field size of 8.07.

There have been 446,141 paid admissions at Saratoga this summer. The New York Racing Association includes in that figure daily season passes sold (approximately 8,400) as well as admissions for season-long box seat holders, even if they don’t attend the races.