Autumn handle up by 33 percent

Del Mar completed a 15-day autumn meeting with allsources total handle of $195.9 million, a gain of 33 percent over a 13-day meeting in 2019.

This year’s five-week meeting included the lucrative simulcasts of the Breeders’ Cup races from Keeneland on Nov. 6-7, ideal weather compared to a 2019 season that lost two days of racing to rain, and an increase in field size.

Last year, the Breeders’ Cup was held at Santa Anita the weekend before the start of the Del Mar autumn meeting.

This year, Del Mar was unable to open to the general public because of the coronavirus pandemic, and restricted attendance to owners with runners on a given day. Attendance was typically between 100 and 200 people daily.

Handle was generated largely through accountwagering sources, a scenario that has been in place at California tracks since the general public was banned from attending live racing in mid-March. Some simulcast venues in Southern California have been allowed to operate during that time.

Last year, all-sources total handle reached $147.2 million at the autumn meeting, compared to $165.5 million at the 15-day autumn meeting in 2018. The 2017 autumn meeting, which included the live Breeders’ Cup races, handled a record $325.2 million.

This year, fields averaged 8.1 runners per race compared to 7.43 runners at the 2019 autumn meeting and 7.7 runners at the 2018 autumn meeting. There were 131 races run this year, compared to 114 in 2019.

Prior to the start of this year’s autumn meeting, the track raised overnight purses by 10 percent compared to 2019.

Jockey Abel Cedillo, 31, and trainer Richard Baltas, 59, led their respective categories for the second consecutive autumn meeting.

Cedillo won the riding title with 19 wins, five more than Flavien Prat.

Baltas led all trainers with 11 wins, one more than Phil D’Amato. Richard Mandella and Peter Miller finished in a tie for third with nine wins.

Juddmonte Farms led all owners with stable earnings of $256,000, while Perry and Ramona Bass led all owners in wins with five.