Lone Star sees attendance rise, handle decline

Lone Star Park concluded its 65-day, 2008 Spring Thoroughbred meet on Sunday

last Sunday with increases in both average daily and overall attendance.

Average daily attendance rose just over 5 percent to 7,500 in 2008 compared

with 7,100 last year. Despite having two fewer days of racing in 2008, 65

compared to 67 in a year ago, Lone Star Park's overall attendance increased by

nearly 10,000, from 475,097 in 2007 to 484,879 this year. The 5.2 percent

average daily attendance increase is the largest annual increase in the history

of Lone Star Park. The previous high was 1.5 percent in 2002 from 2001.

"We are extremely pleased with the growth in attendance during our 2008 meet

and would like to thank all of our loyal customers who came out to Lone Star

Park," Lone Star Park President and General Manager Drew Shubeck said. "In

addition to the live racing, our big event days and a very successful concert

series, as well as Big Brown's (Boundary) exciting run at the Triple Crown,

provided our fans with great entertainment throughout the meet."

Average daily wagering on Lone Star Park's live racing, both on and off

track, slipped 2.3 percent to $1.63 million from $1.67 million in 2007. In

addition, average daily on-track wagering, which includes betting by on-track

customers on both Lone Star Park's live races and simulcast races imported by

the track, was $1.03 million, a 6.1-percent decrease from $1.09 million last

year.

In 2008, the all-sources average daily handle slipped to $2.25 million

compared to last year's $2.34 million, a 3.7-percent decline.

"While more people attended the races at Lone Star Park this year, the

economy clearly had an negative impact on how much they had to spend when they

were here," Shubeck added. "In addition, the loss of wagering from the Account

Deposit Wagering companies also contributed to our lower handle figures."

All-time Lone Star Park leading jockey Cliff Berry, who won titles in 2005

and 2006, topped all riders with 91 victories to increase his career total to

621 while making it three jockey championships in the last four years. His

streak was interrupted by Ramsey Zimmerman last year.

Like in 2007, the nation's leading trainer, Steve Asmussen, led the trainer

standings with 78 wins. It marks Asmussen's 10th trainer title in the last 11

years and increases his all-time Lone Star Park career wins to 802.

MONTEREY JAZZ (Thunderello), winner of the Texas Mile S. (G3) on the April 26

Lone Star Million Preview Day, was voted the Horse of the Meet.