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Attendance increases at Breeders' Cup Attendance for Breeders' Cup Championships was up 11 percent for the two-day event
Friday and Saturday at Santa Anita Park. After a 20 percent increase in attendance on
Friday, 58,845 were on hand today for the 10-race card that included eight
Breeders' Cup World Championship races, a 6 percent increase from the 2008 Saturday
attendance of 55,351. Total attendance for the two days increased from 86,588 to
96,496. "It was an electric atmosphere for two days and Zenyatta delivered what is
arguably the greatest performance in the 26-year history of the event," said
Breeders’ Cup President and CEO Greg Avioli. "The Breeders' Cup extends its
sincere thanks to all the owners who entered their horses this weekend, to our
partners at Oak Tree and Santa Anita and to all of our nominators and the racing
fans around the world whose support makes our event possible." On-track handle increased both days despite one less race on each day's card
compared to 2008. Saturday's on-track handle was $12,177,982, an increase of 3
percent over 2008. The common-pool handle for Saturday's 10-race card was $96,159,747, a
decrease of 6 percent from 2008's 11-race card. The $48,439,458 bet on Friday was a 1
percent
increase over the 2008 10-race Friday card. The two-day common pool total was
$144,599,205. "Given the economy and national wagering trends, we are very happy this
performance and with the overall business results," said Sherwood C. Chillingworth,
executive vice president of the Oak Tree Racing Association. Complete all-sources Breeders' Cup handle numbers, including separate pools
and exchange wagering, will be available early next week.
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