Rain was a "dominant factor" through the first half of the '18 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course, and it was "perhaps the primary reason why Saratoga fell short of setting another record for handle," according to David Grening of DAILY RACING FORM. All-sources handle for the 40-day Saratoga meet that concluded yesterday "was $659,083,459, the second-highest in track history." It was 2.6% "lower than last year’s figure of $676,709,490." On-track handle was $148,826,388, down 5.2% from last year’s figure of $157,014,965. Paid admissions "was 1,124,149, slightly up from last year’s figure of 1,117,838." Saratoga "set record handle for Travers Day ($52,086,597) and Woodward Day ($31,030,032)." Saratoga "succeeds despite being the only major venue that operates six days a week." Every year there is "chatter about having a five-day race-week." NYRA President & CEO Chris Kay acknowledged that extending the meet is "something that will be considered," but he "emphasized no decision on that will be made for a while" (DRF.com, 9/3). The season "featured the successful debut of The Stretch, where guests in the grandstand enjoyed exclusive access to new and modern boxes, a two-tiered dining section, premium reserved seats, and state-of-the-art technology within a casual setting." The opening of The Stretch took place as NYRA "prepares to break ground on a new, three-story building called the 1863 Club to replace the current At the Rail Pavilion and temporary trailers at the end of the clubhouse." Ratings "soared in the third season of NYRA's award-winning flagship television show 'Saratoga Live,' increasing by 62% over last summer" on FS2 as well as Fox RSNs (BLOODHORSE.com, 9/3).
SIZE MATTERS: DAILY RACING FORM's Jay Privman noted Del Mar "reported all source handle" averaging $13.44M per day for its summer meet, a gain of 6.8% from last year." That followed a 5.1% gain from '16 to '17. The betting numbers "likely were due in part to another year-over-year increase in field size, this time to 8.7 runners per race." On-track attendance "averaged 13,070 per day following last year’s average of 13,240" (DRF.com, 9/3).
