Saratoga handle figures: first 10 days

[Grits]

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/93421/nyra-reports-strong-handle-early-at-saratoga

Safe to assume..no shortage of horses or dollars wagered. Year after year, people come back. :)

Overall, $159,069,264 has been wagered on NYRA races through the first quarter of the Saratoga meet, compared with $134,495,128 in 2014; an increase of more than $24.5 million. The meet is enjoying an average of $15,906,926 in total handle per day, including $3,906,860 on-track.

[NTamm1215]

Those numbers are tremendous.

If there was a $25 million decrease, the thread would be 10 pages long. I'll bet this one stays shorter than that.

[EMD4ME]

Awesome to hear this. Glad to see the game thriving at the SPA!!!

[Appy]

Saratoga. Del Mar. Oaklawn. I suspect Keeneland as well.

What's the common thread for their success?

[Grits]

For one thing.. brevity.

[castaway01]

Saratoga. Del Mar. Oaklawn. I suspect Keeneland as well.

What's the common thread for their success?

Keeneland's handle was down nearly 15% from fall 2013 to fall 2014, and again from spring 2014 to spring 2015. Thank God they went back to dirt though...

Keeneland handle plummets (http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/91516/keeneland-spring-handle-figures-down)



Del Mar's handle was down 7.3% in 2014 from 2013.

Bloodhorse article (http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/87173/del-mar-posts-attendance-handle-declines)


These handle figures for Saratoga aren't just good---they're amazing and buck a trend of diving handle at most of the "legendary" venues in racing.

[alhattab]

Keeneland's handle was down nearly 15% from fall 2013 to fall 2014, and again from spring 2014 to spring 2015. Thank God they went back to dirt though...

Keeneland handle plummets (http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/91516/keeneland-spring-handle-figures-down)



Del Mar's handle was down 7.3% in 2014 from 2013.

Bloodhorse article (http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/87173/del-mar-posts-attendance-handle-declines)


These handle figures for Saratoga aren't just good---they're amazing and buck a trend of diving handle at most of the "legendary" venues in racing.

The numbers do look good. However my enthusiasm is a little tempered by the timing of the 2015 v 2014 meets. The 2014 meet started on July 18 and ran until Sept 1. This year the meet started a week later- July 24- and will run until Sept 7. That last week is going to be much more dead than last year's post Travers week given how late Labor Day is. Kids even in the Northeast will be starting school that week. Would be great if they could pull off some sort of coup- maybe w American Pharaoh- to make Labor Day weekend a huge draw.

[Dave Schwartz]

This is just tremendous news!


For one thing.. brevity.

And, Grits, you are just too funny.

[ronsmac]

Looks like Saratoga is having a good meet, up in handle and field size, but can someone tell me why there are so many minutes between races? Saturdays card is scheduled for 6 hours when it should be 5 hours max. Man that's a long day.

[Rex Phinney]

Keeneland's handle was down nearly 15% from fall 2013 to fall 2014, and again from spring 2014 to spring 2015. Thank God they went back to dirt though...

Keeneland handle plummets (http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/91516/keeneland-spring-handle-figures-down)



Del Mar's handle was down 7.3% in 2014 from 2013.

Bloodhorse article (http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/87173/del-mar-posts-attendance-handle-declines)


These handle figures for Saratoga aren't just good---they're amazing and buck a trend of diving handle at most of the "legendary" venues in racing.

Santa Anita is up two years in a row.

I suspect Del Mar is going to look really good when their first meet back on dirt is finished.

[Rico8812]

The numbers do look good. However my enthusiasm is a little tempered by the timing of the 2015 v 2014 meets. The 2014 meet started on July 18 and ran until Sept 1. This year the meet started a week later- July 24- and will run until Sept 7. That last week is going to be much more dead than last year's post Travers week given how late Labor Day is. Kids even in the Northeast will be starting school that week. Would be great if they could pull off some sort of coup- maybe w American Pharaoh- to make Labor Day weekend a huge draw.

Sharp post here. Things will even out in the end. A late Labor Day is brutal for business at nyra. The final week numbers will be ugly.

[PaceAdvantage]

Yeah, that last week is just going to destroy everything... :lol:

Really people?

BTW, somebody told me Saratoga DOUBLED Del Mar's handle this past Saturday...

All the naysayers and last-week prognosticators are really fishing for bad news this year... :lol:

[OTM Al]

The real question though is how have hotel tax revenues done vs last year as we were told that was the true measure of performance at Saratoga....

[alhattab]

Yeah, that last week is just going to destroy everything... :lol:

Really people?

BTW, somebody told me Saratoga DOUBLED Del Mar's handle this past Saturday...

All the naysayers and last-week prognosticators are really fishing for bad news this year... :lol:

If I did my math right, after having a few at The Stadium tonight, last years handle from post Travers Sunday to Labor Day was $120.5 million. Assuming the intervening weeks = last year, in order to "catch up" to the $24.5 million increase to date, we would need to see a roughly 20% decline from last years post Travers handle.

[Grits]

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/93637/saratoga-handle-other-revenue-spikes

The operating loss has increased over last year's. These gains, though, are excellent.

Through Aug. 10 NYRA is seeing significant gains in all areas at Saratoga. All-sources handle has increased 19.8%, and food and beverage and merchandise sales have increased 25.6% and 27.5%, respectively.

And, while patting himself on the back? If one's not sure Kay & Co. is doing an outstanding job, just ask Kay himself. He's more trustworthy than other leadership that has come before him.

Kay said the leadership of the current NYRA board is "stronger, better run, and more trustworthy" than in the past. He pointed to improvements in customer service, particularly the installation of hundreds of high-definition televisions at all three racetracks; an emphasis on safety; and the introduction of the three-day Belmont Racing Festival this year.

[thespaah]

For one thing.. brevity.
BINGO!...
However.....The Belmont Fall meeting is just 39 days albeit spread over 8 weeks instead of 6.
I think the Belmont fall meeting should be cut to 30 days,with racing Friday through Monday.
Let the flaming begin

[thespaah]

Keeneland's handle was down nearly 15% from fall 2013 to fall 2014, and again from spring 2014 to spring 2015. Thank God they went back to dirt though...

Keeneland handle plummets (http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/91516/keeneland-spring-handle-figures-down)



Del Mar's handle was down 7.3% in 2014 from 2013.

Bloodhorse article (http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/87173/del-mar-posts-attendance-handle-declines)


These handle figures for Saratoga aren't just good---they're amazing and buck a trend of diving handle at most of the "legendary" venues in racing.
The weather for the 2013 and 2014 spring meetings was colder and wetter than normal.
The Keeneland model works and works very well.

[thespaah]

The numbers do look good. However my enthusiasm is a little tempered by the timing of the 2015 v 2014 meets. The 2014 meet started on July 18 and ran until Sept 1. This year the meet started a week later- July 24- and will run until Sept 7. That last week is going to be much more dead than last year's post Travers week given how late Labor Day is. Kids even in the Northeast will be starting school that week. Would be great if they could pull off some sort of coup- maybe w American Pharaoh- to make Labor Day weekend a huge draw.
With the Travers contested on the last Saturday in August, only the final week of the meeting will show the lower attendance and handle figures.
If I were in charge of the NYRA calendar, I'd schedule the Travers for the final Saturday of the meeting and run the Hopeful the next( Closing) day.

[thespaah]

Looks like Saratoga is having a good meet, up in handle and field size, but can someone tell me why there are so many minutes between races? Saturdays card is scheduled for 6 hours when it should be 5 hours max. Man that's a long day.
More time to make wagers resulting in larger handle figures?
11 races on the weekend programs?
One thing NYRA could do that has been done in NJ for decades is "quick official".
NYRA still waits for the jockeys to all weigh in after the race before declaring the result official. If there is a special winner's circle presentation, this can take several minutes.

[thespaah]

Yeah, that last week is just going to destroy everything... :lol:

Really people?

BTW, somebody told me Saratoga DOUBLED Del Mar's handle this past Saturday...

All the naysayers and last-week prognosticators are really fishing for bad news this year... :lol:
The Spa all sources handle last Satruday was $30 million...Almost 40k on property. I was there. I had not one single issue getting in my bets nor did I ever get the perception it was crowded.
I hung out in the rear of the clubhouse by the Jim Dandy Bar and by the bank of windows near the path from the paddock to the track. No worries.