Top 10 tracks with biggest handle increases in 2020

In a year where everything changed, horse racing was no exception. One of the strangest things racing fans will remember is April 2020, when only five tracks persevered and raced during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

These tracks were Gulfstream Park, Tampa Bay Downs, Oaklawn Park, Will Rogers Downs and Fonner Park, and handle soared at those tracks. So it is probably not a surprise to racing fans that these five tracks posted the largest handle increases of 2020.  

• Gulfstream Park handle grew by over $450 million (30 percent), while running 100 fewer races in 2020. 
  
• Tampa Bay Downs was able to grow handle by 50 percent, for an increase of more than $170 million. The track was able to hold 20 percent more races while increasing field size from 8.0 to 8.4 horses per race.
  
• Oaklawn Park grew handle by 63 percent, growing by $147 million year to year on roughly the same number of races, but field size grew from 9.1 to a huge 9.7 horses per race. Only Kentucky Downs (10.0) and Turfway Park (9.9) had larger field sizes in 2020.
  
• Will Rogers Downs handle grew by more than $114 million, for an amazing 679 percent increase from 2019.  
  
• Fonner Park handle skyrocketed from $7.5 million to about $100 million in 2020, for a remarkable increase of 1,332 percent year to year.

Top 10 track handle increases in 2020

Rounding out the top 10 are Keeneland, Charles Town, Indiana Downs, Lone Star and Canterbury Park.

• Keeneland's increase was driven by the Breeders' Cup, which resulted in $160 million in handle. Keeneland's typical Spring meet was reduced to one week in July, drastically reducing race dates and races.
  
• Charles Town handle was up for the sixth consecutive year as the nighttime track posted a $43 million increase on 18 percent fewer races. Charles Town notes that since 2009, it has reduced 100 racing days yet grown handle by 50 percent in that time period. In 2020, Charles Town benefitted by reduced competition from other night tracks during different portions of the calendar.
  
• Indiana Grand handle was up $44 million (33 percent) on 26 less racing days, also benefitting from reduced competition and running on days with less competition.
  
• Lone Star handle increased a whopping 90 percent with 10 fewer races, but field size jumped from 7.5 to 9.0 starters per race.
  
• Canterbury pivoted from a traditional schedule that included weekends to a Monday-through-Thursday race week, resulting in handle gains of 70 percent with 19 fewer races. The total handle increase was about $26.5 million.