All-sources handle at the Del Mar summer meeting, which concluded Monday, rose 6.8% to $13.4 million per day, which follows a 5.1% increase from 2016 to 2017. Off-track wagering accounted for much of the spike, with a 10.8% increase in betting by out-of-state patrons and a 14.1% jump from California ADW customers.
“Across the board, we've hit all our marks with a wonderful display of teamwork in a group effort,” said Del Mar Thoroughbred Club CEO Joe Harper. “Our owners, our trainers, our jockeys-everyone is pulling their oars in the same direction. It is amazing what positive things can happen when we all get on the same page to put on a first-rate show. The bar was set very high in 2017, but here we've gone and jumped far over it in a very gratifying summer.”
Field size ticked up slightly from 8.6 runners per race to 8.7 over the seven-week season, following an increase from 8.3 in 2017. Southern California's popular “Ship & Win” program drew 105 new runners to the track from out-of-state.
“The response from our horsemen and horsewomen to our program at Del Mar has been just terrific,” said executive vice president for racing Tom Robbins. “We have a wonderful partnership going right now and we'll continue to work to make it even better.”
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