Saratoga: Ontrack handle up at halfway point; all-sources down marginally

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Ontrack handle is up significantly, while all-sources handle is down a fraction on this year's Saratoga meet compared with the same time last year.

Through the first 22 days of the 40-day meet, ontrack handle is $66,610,255, for a daily average of $3,027,739 and up 7.9 percent from $61,705,156 wagered last year. All-sources handle, which includes wagers on Saratoga races from both ontrack and simulcast outlets nationwide, is $291,181,532, averaging $13,235,524 daily and down less than 1 percent from $293,259,011 in 2010.

There have been 219 races run at this year's meeting with 1,835 betting interests, compared with 213 races run through the first 22 days last year with 1,806 betting interests. There have been 92 turf races run with 13 rained off the turf, compared to 98 on the turf and 13 taken off in 2010.

Attendance through the first 22 days of the meet is 474,254, up 2.0 percent from 465,181 in 2010.