Keeneland sets all-time wagering record

Keeneland reported a total wagering record of $158,368,308 during its spring

race meeting, which concluded Friday.

The all-sources handle represents a more than 10 percent increase over the

previous record of $143,479,802 set last spring. Total wagering averaged a

record $10,557,887 per day, breaking last year's mark of $9,565,320. The

record handle was achieved despite unseasonably cold, inclement weather

throughout much of the meet.

"Mother Nature won this one," Keeneland President Nick Nicholson said. "When

the weather was good, the fans came out in record numbers. And, through it all

-- the snow, the rain and the cold -- the new Polytrack surface held up well and

there were full competitive fields which resulted in a record all-sources

handle. In many ways, the Polytrack was the star of the meet."

It was the first spring meet conducted over Polytrack. Field size averaged

9.5 horses, up 21.4 percent over 8.09 horses per race last spring when racing

was conducted over the conventional dirt track. The Polytrack surface attracted

many of the top Kentucky Derby (G1) and Kentucky Oaks (G1) contenders, who raced

and/or trained at Keeneland in April.

Keeneland reported increases in commingled wagering, which rose 14 percent,

from last year's record of $110,401,486 to $125,952,284. Average daily

interstate handle rose from last year's record of $7,360,099 to $8,396,819.

The cold, rainy weather impacted on-track attendance and handle for the meet.

Attendance totaled 215,030, a decrease of 11.9 percent from last year's record

of 244,145. Average daily attendance was 14,335. A single-day attendance record

of 33,821 watched SLEW'S TIZZY (Tiznow) win the April 21 Lexington S. (G2) at

odds of 40-1. Slew's Tizzy is trained by Greg Fox at the Thoroughbred Training

Center in Lexington, Kentucky. The previous record was 33,621 set on April 16,

2005, for the Blue Grass S. (G1).

On-track wagering dipped slightly to $20,919,811 from last year's

$21,833,015. Total on-track handle, which includes whole card wagering at

Keeneland, of $25,859,223 was down 5 percent from last year's $27,129,925.

Total daily purses for the 15-day spring meet averaged $641,915 compared to

$641,253 in 2006.

For the second consecutive meet, the French duo of Patrick Biancone and

Julien Leparoux earned the leading trainer and jockey titles, respectively.

Biancone won 12 races from 54 starts to capture his first spring meet crown.

Todd Pletcher finished second in the standings with nine wins from 33 starts.

Leparoux, last year's Eclipse Award-winning apprentice, topped a deep jockey

colony to take the leading rider honors with 22 wins from 118 starts, for his

third consecutive Keeneland title. Garrett Gomez checked in second with 17

victories, followed by Edgar Prado with 16 wins.

Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum's Darley Stable was the meet's leading owner with

five victories. Darley previously won the leading owner title in the fall of

1992.