Saratoga starts meet with strong business

The 2017 Saratoga meet has gotten out of the gates strong from a business standpoint, with all-sources handle up 6.6 percent for the first four days of the meet compared to last year.

All-sources handle was $78,132,020 for the first week of this meet compared to $73,303,141 in 2016, according to numbers provided by the New York Racing Association. Ontrack handle was $16,866,750, up 3.6percent from last year’s figure of $16,270,479.

Figures were up despite Monday’s inclement weather, which forced management to move three scheduled turf races to the dirt. There were 17 turf races run over the first four days at this meet compared to 20 with none being taken off the turf through the first four days of 2016.

Monday’s card did feature a pick-six carryover of $577,107, which led to a $2,290,603 being wagered into that pool. In 2016, there was a three-day pick-six carryover of $333,345, which led to $1,198,341 being wagered in that pool.

At both meets, 41 races were run the first four days.

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Field size was a robust 8.98 horses per race, up from 8.44 over the same period in 2016.

There were 113,546 paid admissions through the first four days of the meet, down 3.5 percent from last year’s figure of 117,675.

Racing resumes on Wednesday when the first of six six-day race weeks commences with a 10-race card beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern.