Preliminary figures released late Saturday showed the handle for this year's running of the Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs “dropped 5.1 percent” despite adding a 15th race, according to Matt Hegarty of the DAILY RACING FORM. The decline, “from $147.5 million on 14 races last year to $140.1 million for 15 races this year, is the first for the Breeders’ Cup since the event was held at Monmouth Park in 2007, the first year in which the event was held over two days -- and the racing was marred by heavy rain.” Despite the decline, the total for the 15 races “is still the second-highest for the event in its 28-year history, propelled in large part by the rapid addition of races over the past five years.” The declines in handle “were coupled with a significant decline in attendance for the Saturday card compared to last year, from 72,739 in 2010 to 65,143 this year, despite Saturday’s ideal fall weather.” The drop can be “explained, in part, by the thousands of fans who had come to Churchill last year to see Zenyatta, the most popular horse of the last decade.” For the nine Breeders’ Cup races on Saturday, “handle was $97.6 million, a decline of 2.5 percent when compared to the preliminary commingled handle figure of $100.2 million on eight races held last year.” On Friday, handle for the six races held that day was “$42.5 million, down 6.3 percent from the handle for six Friday Breeders’ Cup races last year” (DRF.com, 11/5). Breeders’ Cup officials announced that the two-day attendance total “dipped by 7% compared to last year’s record attendance.” This year’s attendance “was 105,820, down from last year’s record total of 114,353 that was fueled by the legendary mare Zenyatta’s bid to remain undefeated” (BLOODHORSE.com, 11/5).
WEST COAST HOME: In L.A., Lance Pugmire reports Santa Anita is “pushing Breeders’ Cup officials to make the Arcadia track the event’s home every other year starting next year.” L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said, “I’d like to see (Santa Anita) as a permanent home.” He added that he has had “three to four meetings with Breeders’ Cup executives during the year” (L.A. TIMES, 11/07).
