The impressive victory by Rydilluc on Saturday night in the
inaugural $500,000 Penn Mile was the highlight of an incredible record-breaking
night at Penn National Race Course.
All-sources wagering on the Penn Mile race itself was
$1,139,478, making it far and away the largest single-race handle in the 40-year
history of the track. The previous record was the Pennsylvania Governor’s Cup
Handicap on August 1, 2009, which handled $377,365.
Total all-sources wagering on the entire 10-race card at
Penn National was $3,658,996, shattering the previous all-sources handle record
for a single card of $2,173,921, which was set on December 26, 1998.
The Penn Mile was the final leg of an All-Stakes Early Pick
4 that handled $199,514 all-sources, eclipsing the previous record Pick 4 by
more than $100,000.
On-track wagering on the Penn National card was $225,136,
also a record, and reflected the large turnout to see the stakes races and to
help benefit Equine Aftercare — with CANTER of Pennsylvania, New Vocations, ReRun and HBPA New Start all on-track collecting donations, along with Metro
Meteor, the Painting Racehorse, whose paintings have raised more than $25,000
for charity.
“On every possible level, tonight was a huge success,” said
Dan Silver, director of racing operations at Penn National. “The racing department here
— including racing secretary Dave
Bailey, stakes coordinator Craig Lytel, and assistant racing secretary Jenny
Bowman — put together the best card in the history of Penn National Race Course,
and it was great to see people on track and around the country respond so
enthusiastically.
“We’re thankful for the strong support demonstrated for our
races by the horsemen and it was exciting to see so many tremendous stakes
performances tonight, highlighted by Rydilluc’s thrilling win in the first ever
Penn Mile. The on-track atmosphere was electric, and we are thrilled that so
many fans came to the track to enjoy a terrific night of racing.”
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