Handle up, fatalities down at halfway

DEL MAR, Calif. – Del Mar reached the halfway point of its summer meeting over the weekend with a gain in handle and field sizes but a decline in attendance compared to the same period in 2016.

All-sources handle, including ontrack, simulcast, and accountwagering sources, showed an increase of 7.2 percent through Saturday, the 19th day of the 36-day season, according to track chief operating officer Josh Rubinstein.

Ontrack handle increased 4.9 percent, while out-of-state handle rose 10.1 percent.

The 2016 summer meeting had a decline in all-sources handle of 1.2 percent from 2015.

Ontrack attendance was down 2.9 percent, but Rubinstein said he and other track officials are optimistic much of that can be regained through upcoming big racing days and promotions.

The summer meeting runs through Sept. 4. It is three racing days and one weekend shorter than the 39-day summer meeting of 2016.

Through Saturday, field size for the meet averaged 8.41 runners per race compared to 8.05 through the first half of 2016. The entire 2016 summer had an average field size of 8.31 runners.

Through Saturday there were two fatalities caused by injuries during racing and none during training. The 2016 season had 17

fatalities, compared to nine in summer 2015.

“We’re really pleased at the halfway point,” Rubinstein said. “Going in, we spent considerable resources, financially and time, on safety. The results have been positive.”

The increase in handle has helped to reduce a substantial deficit in the purse pool, which led to a cut in purses in 2016. Purses this year are the same as during the final three weeks of the 2016 summer meeting and are expected to be uniform through the season.

Rubinstein declined to state the level of the purse deficit, other than to say, “It’s a significant number and it’s a sevenfigure number.”

Reviews of the racing surface have been mixed. Some trainers say they are content with the surface, while others say the track is too deep and loose, causing some horses to sustain soft-tissue injuries.

“I don’t think there is a track invented that will please everyone,” Rubinstein said. “Is it slower? Yes. Is it softer? Yes.”

Dennis Moore took the job as director of track maintenance here this year. He is a consultant on racetrack surfaces at Los Alamitos and Santa Anita.