All-sources handle shows small gain for Belmont's spring/summer meet

All-sources handle shows small gain for Belmont's

spring/summer meet

Total, year-over-year handle increased at the 2013 Belmont

Park spring/summer meet, which ran 56 days from April 26 through July 14,

according to the New York Racing Association (NYRA).

All-sources handle on NYRA races was $573 million, up 1.2 percent from $566 million in 2012, and total

handle, including simulcast races, was $643 million, up 1.1 percent from $636

million last year.

On-track handle* on NYRA races was $78 million, down 10.4 percent from $88

million in 2012.

Attendance at Belmont Park decreased 14.1 percent to 282,488 from 328,915 in

2012, when the expectation of a Triple Crown bid by I'll Have Another helped

attract a crowd of 85,811 to the Belmont Stakes. Attendance at this year's

Belmont Stakes was 47,562.

On-track handle for the 2013 Belmont Stakes Day card was $10,700,326 and

total handle was $88,652,023, a respective drop of 22.3 percent and 8.1 percent

when compared to $13,777,920 and $96,485,985 last year.

There were 542 races run this year compared to 525 in 2012, when a full race

card was canceled on June 21 due to heat and when five races were canceled on

June 22 because of a storm and loss of power at Belmont Park.

Average betting

interests per race decreased 6 percent to 7.7 (4,189 total) compared to 8.2

(4,312 total) in 2012. Turf races increased to 234 with 48 taken off the turf,

compared to 225 on and 59 off in 2012.

Aqueduct and the Belmont Café will be open for simulcasting every day

for the Saratoga meet, which runs from July 19 through Labor

Day Monday, September 2, with live racing six days a week, Wednesday through

Monday.

Below are the exact totals for the 2013 Belmont Park spring/summer meeting as

compared to last year:

*Please note that NYRA on-track wagering numbers include handle wagered

on-track at Belmont Park, through NYRA Rewards account wagering and at the

Aqueduct simulcast center.

Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com