Belmont’s Fall Championship Meet shows steep increases in
handle, attendance
Belmont Park has released positive figures for its Fall Championship Meet, which ended
October 30. Highlighted by the Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships,
Big Sandy’s autumn racing featured other Grade 1 contests in several key
divisions: juvenile (Champagne S.), distaff (Beldame S.), sprint (Vosburgh S.),
turf (Man o’ War S. and Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational S.), filly and mare turf (Flower
Bowl Invitational S.), and classic (Jockey Club Gold Cup S. and Woodward S.).
Numbers for all-source handle rose sharply, with the meet’s total of more
than $477 million representing an increase of 45.9 percent above the 2004
aggregate, averaging in excess of $12.9 million per racing day, a jump of 30.1
percent from last year’s average. Off-track handle saw a rise of 48.8 percent,
while handle at the track went up 28.5 percent. Even setting aside the impact of
the Breeders’ Cup, all-source handle still climbed 9 percent from the comparable
figure for 2004, and the New York Racing Association’s off-track handle increased 11 percent.
Boosted by the Breeders’ Cup, total attendance soared to 222,133, a 16
percent hike from last year. Field size during the 37-day meet, which ran four
days longer than in 2004, declined slightly from 8.15 in 2004 to 8.01 contestants per race
this year.