The 2019 fall meet at Aqueduct Racetrack generated all-sources handle of $205,249,710, the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced today. In addition to the 49 percent increase in all-sources handle over 2018, the 25-day fall meet drove significant gains in on-track handle and average daily handle.
With favorable weather and two turf courses available for the duration of the meet, NYRA contested 86 races on the grass and 233 total races from Friday, November 1 through Sunday, December 8 compared to 31 turf races and 198 total races during the 22-day 2018 fall meet at the Big A.
A total of 22 races were forced off the turf due to weather and the entire Thanksgiving Day program was cancelled due to dangerously high winds. In addition, the final five races of the December 1 card were cancelled due to a winter storm.
The 10-race Cigar Mile Day card, which included four graded stakes and six stakes in total, saw $18,518,057 in all-sources wagering, a 45 percent increase over 2018.
Cigar Mile Day offered horseplayers a mandatory payout of the Empire 6, NYRA’s jackpot style pick 6 wager launched in August at Saratoga Race Course. The wager returned $6,384.50 to those with winning tickets.
On-track handle for the 2019 Aqueduct fall meet was $20,712,645, a 28 percent increase over 2018.
Average daily handle for the 2019 Aqueduct fall meet was $8,209,988, a 31.6 percent increase over 2018.
Chad Brown led all trainers with 17 victories, securing his place atop the standings for the fourth consecutive NYRA meet. Irad Ortiz, Jr.’s 29 wins earned him the riding title and owners title was shared between Drawing Away Stable and Klaravich Stables.
The 2019-20 winter meet at Aqueduct begins on Thursday, December 12, and includes 45 stakes across 59 days of scheduled live racing.
January will feature 17 dates with live racing generally conducted Thursday through Sunday with the exception of New Year’s Day, a Wednesday card highlighted by the $150,000 Jerome for freshly minted 3-year-olds, as part of New York’s road to the Kentucky Derby. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday card is slated for Monday, January 20 and features the $100,000 Interborough for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up. There will be no live racing on Thursday, January 2, Friday, January 3 and Thursday, January 16.
New to the Paulick Report? Click here to sign up for our daily email newsletter to keep up on this and other stories happening in the Thoroughbred industry.
Copyright © 2019 Paulick Report.
