Total handle down at Santa Anita, but ADW figures up sharply

Total handle down at Santa Anita, but ADW figures up

sharply

Santa Anita Park, beset with a dysfunctional synthetic main track which

created daily uncertainty as to whether racing would be conducted during periods

of wet weather early in its winter/spring meeting, concluded its 2007-08 race

meet with total handle down 7 percent from last year. This was largely due to

the fact that eight live racing days were lost due to problems with the

synthetic track. On an average daily basis, on-track handle was down 13 percent

and SCOTWINC (Southern California Off-Track Wagering, Inc.) handle was down 9

percent.

The decline in all source wagering on Santa Anita races, as well as the

SCOTWINC decreases, were offset by out-of-state handle, which was up 1 percent,

and ADW (Account Deposit Wagering) handle, which was up 40 percent. On an

average daily basis, all source wagering on Santa Anita races was up 2 percent.

For the first time, fans were allowed to bet on Santa Anita's races through

all ADW providers and that in large part contributed to the significant increase

in ADW handle over last year. This year there were 37 days on which ADW handle

on Santa Anita races exceeded $1 million, compared to just six days in 2007. On

two occasions this year, ADW handle exceeded the $2 million mark, something that

had never been achieved before on live racing from Santa Anita.

"Our big days continue to be very successful, but our on-track business and

that of our satellite partners declined considerably throughout the meet," Santa

Anita President Ron Charles said. "Our average daily on-track attendance was

down 5 percent from last year and SCOTWINC's attendance was down 24 percent. It

was tough to generate momentum early in the meet and because ADW was up 40

percent, it was obvious that ADW was cannibalizing our on-track and SCOTWINC

players, which contributed significantly to these declines.

"ADW will continue to be the fastest growing segment of our industry and we

need to continue to make wagering easier and more accessible for our race fans.

We also need to continue to try to get better distribution on cable and

satellite television and to improve the quality of racing video on the

internet."

Proof of Santa Anita's strong spring-time resurgence came on Santa Anita

Derby Day, April 5. For the third consecutive year, on-track attendance exceeded

50,000 people as a crowd of 50,358 wagered more than $5.1 million, contributing

to a total all sources Derby Day handle of more than $26 million. Prior to this

three-year run, the last Derby Day crowd to exceed 50,000 came in 1989.

"With all of the adversity we faced, to be able to attract these kinds of

crowds in this market and with a tough economy, is really remarkable," Charles

said. "Our fans are loyal and they are passionate, and we thank them for that."

This winter/spring meeting was dubbed "The Year of the Jockey," a marketing

campaign which raised the profile of Santa Anita's jockeys and underscored their

roles as world-class athletes.

"Our jockeys are hugely important to us," Charles said. "To have Rafael

Bejarano competing here full-time was a huge plus, and it was great to have

Chantal Sutherland riding here for the first time. The depth of this colony was

tremendous and the riders went out of their way, time and again, to help us

promote racing.

"We also want to thank the owners and trainers for their participation. All

of us had a great deal of adversity to contend with and their patience and the

level of commitment and understanding they displayed throughout the meet was

very gratifying," he added.

In addition to the "Year of the Jockey," Santa Anita also for the first time,

offered a brand-new Chevrolet Corvette to any winning single-ticket Pick 6 that

was purchased on-track. This resulted in two winners, James Micheil of Duarte,

California, on March 24, and Joseph Scardino of Glendora, California, on April

10.

"This was a very successful promotion that by all accounts encouraged

investment on-track. We were able to partner on this with Sierra Auto Group of

Monrovia and we hope to do it again next year," Charles said.

The prospect of winning a new Corvette and a new wager, "The Santa Anita

Super High Five," helped to fuel increased interest and wagering on each day's

final race.

"Even though it wasn't offered at a number of sites around the country, the

Super High Five was very well received," Charles said. "It's just now coming

into its own as more and more sites are requesting it."

For the first time in Santa Anita history, there was a winner in the $1

million St. Patrick's Day Horseshoe Pitch on March 15. John Placzankis of Rancho

Cucamonga, California, threw a perfect ringer and declared over the public

address system "The drinks are on me!!"

Kentucky Derby (G1) contender COLONEL JOHN (Tiznow) was voted Horse of the

Meet by the media, on the strength of his impressive victories in the Sham S.

(G3) and the Santa Anita Derby (G1). Owned and bred by WinStar Farm and trained

by Eoin Harty, Colonel John joins his sire, Tiznow, among Horse of the Meet

winners. Tiznow won in the 2000-01 poll and went on to be named 2000 Horse of

the Year. In a unanimous vote, Colonel John also was named the meet's

outstanding three-year-old.

The Santa Anita Derby, in which Colonel John rallied from last near the

quarter-pole to win by a half-length over Bob Black Jack (Stormy Jack), was

named Race of the Meet.

Rafael Bejarano won his first Santa Anita riding title despite missing three

weeks late in the meet due to two fractured vertebrae suffered in a riding

mishap March 13. The 25-year-old native of Peru overtook early meet leader

Garrett Gomez after Gomez moved his tack to Keeneland in early April. Bejarano

won 67 races, while Gomez captured 63.

Jose Campos, a 20-year-old native of Mexico, was unanimously selected the

meet's outstanding apprentice jockey in the media poll. Campos, whose business

is handled by agent Roger Olguin, won 17 races. He loses his five-pound weight

allowance on July 25.

Mike Mitchell took his second Santa Anita training title with 33 wins, five

better than runner-up John Sadler. Mitchell enjoyed a sensational meet,

recording a remarkable .264 winning percentage, and capped it all by landing the

closing-day feature, the San Juan Capistrano Invitational H. (G2) with Big

Booster (Accelerator), who was ridden by Bejarano. It was the second Santa Anita

crown for the Bakersfield, California, native, who turns 60 on April 25.

Mitchell registered 31 victories in 1992-93.

Peter Vegso led all owners with $787,000 in money-won.

Also in the media poll, the stallion Unusual Heat was recognized for his

outstanding accomplishment, siring what is believed to be a racing record of 27

winners at the meet.