Total handle on live races up 41 percent as field size grows
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CYPRESS, Calif. – The two-week Los Alamitos September meeting that ended on Sunday showed sharp increases in handle on the track’s races, and in number of starters, according to figures compiled by Daily Racing Form.
For the brief six-day season, handle on Los Alamitos races alone grew 41.8 percent from $11,831,737 in 2024 to $16,779,092. Fields averaged 7.72 runners per race compared to 6.38 runners per race at the 2024 September meeting.
Los Alamitos ran 55 races this September compared to 50 last year. The track races only on dirt.
This year’s handle figure was 20.1 percent higher than the 2023 figure of $13,966,584.
Doug O’Neill led all trainers with six wins, two more than Jesus Uranga. O’Neill has won or tied for a training title at Los Alamitos 11 times since the track took the place of Hollywood Park on the daytime Southern California circuit in 2014.
Jockeys Kyle Frey, Kazushi Kimura, and Edgar Payeras each won six races to tie for the lead in the jockey standings. Antonio Fresu finished fourth with five wins.
The track will have a two-week meeting later this year from Dec. 5-14, a six-day season that includes two Grade 2 stakes for 2-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles, each worth $200,000 – the Starlet Stakes for fillies on Dec. 6 and the Los Alamitos Futurity on Dec. 13.