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NYRA enjoys growth in key areas The New York Racing Association (NYRA) enjoyed solid growth in key areas during 2007. On-track handle on both NYRA and simulcast races jumped a solid 2.7 percent to $429,418,825, while on-track wagering on NYRA races-only reached $310,571,112, a 2.8 percent increase. The daily average on-track handle was $1,759,913, up 4.5 percent from $1,684,699 in 2006, while daily average total handle reached $10,917,532, up 5.6 percent from $10,337,080. Purses showed strong growth, jumping 6.9 percent, from $110,170,855 in 2006 to $117,814,278 in 2007. All-sources wagers declined 1.1 percent for a total of $2,545,030,210, which was less than the decline of 1.6 percent in racing days, from 248 to 244. Bucking national trends, attendance held up well, totaling 1,824,652, a drop of just 0.9 percent in a year with four fewer racing days. Average starters per race also dipped slightly, from 8.12 per race in 2006 to 8.09 per race in 2007. "After a slow start at Aqueduct, 2007 was a very good year at NYRA." said Charles Hayward, NYRA president and CEO. "We had a solid increase in on-track handle led by a record-breaking $123 million bet on-track for the Saratoga meet. On the track, we had some historic moments with Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy) defeating Curlin (Smart Strike) in a thrilling Belmont S. (G1), and a memorable Travers (S. [G1]) win by Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Street Sense. Remarkably, every Breeders' Cup winner either prepped or was based at a NYRA track." Also racking up especially strong numbers in 2007 were trainer Gary Contessa, owners Winning Move Stable and jockey Eibar Coa, who all repeated as the year's NYRA leaders in their respective categories. Contessa's 159 NYRA wins in 2007 eclipsed the mark set by Frank Martin in 1974 of 156 wins. More than two-thirds of Contessa's winners wore the colors of Steve Sigler's Winning Move Stable, which led owners on the NYRA circuit in 2007 with 108 wins. It was also another strong year for leading rider Coa, who won 262 NYRA races in 2007. Business was off a bit during the recently concluded 42-day 2007 Aqueduct fall meet, with this year's soggy Breeders' Cup event a contributing factor. Attendance fell by 4.9 percent, from 120,602 to 114,601, and on-track handle dropped 2.3 percent, from $27,508,331 to $26,876,579.
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