Saratoga sets all-time handle record with five days remaining in 2021 meet
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – There are still five days remaining in the meet, but this has already been a record-setting summer handle-wise at Saratoga.
Following Wednesday’s card – the 35th day of the 40-day meet – all-sources handle stood at $709,437,410, eclipsing the all-time all-sources handle record of $705,343,949 set in 2019. Last year, all-sources handle at Saratoga – during a meet in which fans were not allowed ontrack – was $702,535,472.
The 2019 record was set during a meet in which only 39 of the scheduled 40 days were run.
Some of NYRA’s biggest days of this meet handle-wise were last Saturday’s Travers Day card ($51,381,515) and the Aug. 7 Whitney Day card ($36,820,234).
There will be a 12-race card this Saturday, highlighted by the Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup, moved this year from Belmont Park to Saratoga.
There have been 350 races run at the meet, 150 on turf. There have been 39 races scheduled for the turf that were transferred to the main track.
Racing continues Thursday through Monday (Labor Day) and all-sources handle is likely to reach $800 million.