Average daily handle down slightly at Turfway

Jettisoning six racing dates and all but one stakes race for this year's fall

meet left Turfway Park with a slight increase in average daily on-track wagering

but decreases in all other wagering categories. The meet began September 9 and

ended October 3.

Lost this year were the Marfa S. and the Weekend Delight S., both carrying

$75,000 purses, and the Kentucky Cup Classic (G2, $200,000 purse in 2009),

Kentucky Cup Distaff (G3, $175,000), and the Kentucky Cup Sprint (G3, $100,000).

Only the Turfway Park Fall Championship (G3), a Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and

You're In" race, remained on the schedule.

Average daily on-track wagering inched up 1.4 percent for the meet, from

$100,792 last fall to $102,173 this fall.

The daily average for all-sources wagering dipped 2.6 percent, from

$1,814,190 to $1,767,122.

Turfway presented 16 live racing dates this fall, compared to 22 live dates

last fall. Accordingly, on-track wagering fell 26.3 percent across the meet,

from $2,217,429 for the 2009 fall meet to $1,634,766 this year. All-sources

wagering fell 29.2 percent compared to last fall, from $39,928,281 to

$28,273,944.

Average daily purses fell 15.1 percent, from $128,001 to $108,637. Compared

to last fall, total purses fell 38.3 percent, from $2,816,030 to $1,738,187.

The track presented 156 races this fall, compared to 220 last fall. With

fewer races to fill, field size rose from 8.5 starters per race to 9.8.

Handle numbers improve, however, when wagering and purses driven by the 2009

Kentucky Cup series are taken out of the comparison. Disregarding that Saturday

in 2009 and the corresponding Saturday in 2010, average daily on-track wagering

rose 12.1 percent, from $90,982 last fall to $102,013 this fall, and average

daily all-sources wagering rose 1.7 percent, from $1,735,536 to $1,765,293.

Factoring in the same exclusions, on-track handle overall dropped 19.9

percent, from $1,910,614 to $1,530,191, and all-sources wagering overall dropped

27.3 percent, from $36,446,263 to $26,479,391.

Without Kentucky Cup purses figured in, average daily purses fell just 1.5

percent, from $110,703 to $109,057.

The meet leader titles went to the juggernaut combination of jockey Perry

Ouzts, trainer Joe Woodard, and owners Billy, Donna, and Justin Hays.

Riding primarily for Woodard, 38-year veteran rider Ouzts earned his first

Turfway title with 30 wins from 137 mounts and purse earnings of $276,783. The

56-year-old Ouzts earned his 5,500th career win on September 23 at Turfway and

ended the fall meet with 5,514, placing him 18th on the all-time list of leading

jockeys by wins.

Second among riders was Corey Lanerie with 19 wins from 73 mounts. Ben Creed

was third with 12 winners from 117 mounts.

Woodard, who trains primarily for Hays, earned his fourth consecutive leading

trainer title with 19 wins from 58 starters and purse earnings of $137,982. Mike

Maker was second with 5 wins from 23 starters. Eric Reed was third with 4 wins

from 9 starters.

The ownership team of Billy, Donna, and Justin Hays captured their second

straight leading owner title with 19 winners from 56 starters and purse earnings

of $133,672. Ken and Sarah Ramsey were second with 4 winners from 10 starters,

and Ron McKay's M. Y. Stables was third with 3 winners from 16 starters.

Racing under his name alone, Billy Hays also won the 2009 fall and holiday

meet titles.

Eldaafer (A.P. Indy) won the Turfway Park Fall Championship (G3), earning an

automatic spot in the 2010 Breeders' Cup Marathon (G3) in November. Another

highlight of the meet was the family-oriented Fan Appreciation Day on October 2,

which was jointly promoted by the horsemen and track management and drew a crowd

estimated at 3,500.

Live racing returns to Turfway December 2.