Handle down, purses up at Hoosier
Hoosier Park concluded it’s 10th Thoroughbred meeting on
Sunday with a decrease in total wagering handle and an increase
in purses.
Last year’s 70-day meet brought in total wagering of $102.6
million compared to $76.9 million this year, when the Indiana
track ran just 59 days. In addition, average daily handle fell
from $1,465,497 in 2003 to $1,303,110 for this year’s meeting.
Average daily on-track handle fell 6.6 percent from $81,736 to
$76,321, while average daily attendance was 955, which was 4
percent above last year’s figure of 918.
On the other hand, average daily purses rose 24.8 percent from
$115,982 in 2003 to $144,756 this year. Total purses were
$8,540,624, an increase of 5.2 percent compared to last year.
An average of 8.7 starters went to the gate in 2004 as opposed
to 9.1 last year.
“Early in the meet we had difficulty attracting horses,
and that led to smaller fields and less handle,” Hoosier
Park President and General Manager Rick Moore said. “We also
lost a day of racing November 12 when jockeys refused to ride as
a means to protest the amount of insurance coverage provided by
racetracks. By the end of the meet, we were back to fuller fields
and higher handle levels.”
Ramsey Zimmerman, who was sidelined with an injury in October,
defeated Lester Knight 92-89 to win the leading rider title.
Ralph Martinez and Louis O’Brien repeated as the top trainer
and owner, respectively. The duo combined for 62 wins during the
meet.