Saratoga on pace to set all-sources handle record
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Just about halfway through its 40-day meet, Saratoga is on track to set a record for all-sources handle.
Through Sunday’s 19th day of the season, all-sources handle is $416,924,385, up 8 percent over last year’s figure through 19 days of $385,973,818. Last year, Saratoga set an all-time record for all-sources handle with $815,508,063.
Ontrack handle at the meet is $70,071,675, an increase of 7.4 percent over last year’s figure of $65,221,626.
Paid admissions for the 2022 meet - which includes season passes sold - is 486,408, a 2 percent increase over last year’s figure of 477,097.
The weather, for the most part, has been dry, but there have been many days where temperatures were in the 90s.
So far this meet, there have been 194 races run, including 91 on turf with only six scheduled turf races forced to the main track. Through the same 19-day period last year, there were 81 turf races run with 21 scheduled rained off to the dirt.
Average field size for the first 19 days at this meet is 7.94 for 194 races, compared with 7.87 last year through 194 races.
Saturday’s Whitney Day card handled a record $40,289,681, an increase of 9.4 percent over last year’s figure of $36,820,234.
On track, Irad Ortiz Jr. leads all riders in wins with 30, followed by Luis Saez (24), Joel Rosario (21), Flavien Prat (15) and Javier Castellano (15).
However, Rosario has won 10 graded stakes (from 18 mounts) through the first 19 days and is in excellent position to eclipse the record for such wins at a Saratoga meet shared by John Velazquez (11 in 2005) and Castellano (11 in 2015).
Chad Brown, who had his second four-win day of the meet on Sunday, leads all trainers with 21 wins. He is followed by Todd Pletcher (15), Mike Maker (10), Christophe Clement (9) and Bill Mott (8).
Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stables leads all owners with seven wins. Ron Winchell, Lawrence Goichman and Barry Schwartz each have three.
The actual halfway point of the meet is Wednesday, and there are still major Saturday cards to come including the Aug. 27 Travers Day program, which last year handled $51,381,515, the third highest Travers Day handle in history.
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