Belmont Park meet has slight uptick in average daily handle

The recently concluded Belmont Park spring/summer meet generated $13,437,509 in average daily handle, the New York Racing Association announced.

With this year’s 2 percent increase from 2021, average daily handle at the Belmont Park spring/summer meet has risen 23.1 percent since 2019.

On-track handle for the 2022 spring/summer meet totaled $57,531,001, an increase of 16.6 percent from the 2021 figure of $49,343,664.

All-sources handle for the 44-day spring/summer meet totaled $591,250,409, which compares with $632,208,251 in 2021, when the meet was contested over 48 days.

The June 11 Belmont Stakes Day card, highlighted by Mo Donegal’s victory in the 154th running of the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes, generated all-sources handle of $98,766,906.

Average field size for the 419 races run during the 2022 spring/summer meet was 7.35, a 3.6 percent decline from the 2021 average of 7.62. The 2022 spring/summer meet saw 233 races on dirt and 186 on the turf. Twenty-six races were forced off the turf because of weather.

Highlighted by the 153rd renewal of the $1.25 million Travers (G1) on Aug. 27 and the $1 million Whitney (G1) on Aug. 6, the 2022 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course will open on Thursday and continue through Monday, Sept. 5.

After the four-day opening weekend, racing will be conducted five days a week, Wednesdays through Sundays, apart from the final week, when the meet will conclude on Labor Day.