Woodbine meet sets record for all-sources handle

Woodbine Entertainment's 2022 Thoroughbred season produced an all-sources handle of $621,782,346, the largest single-season total in Woodbine history.

The $621 million total easily tops the previous record of $533 million set in 2018.

The 2022 Thoroughbred season was the first full season contested at Woodbine since the 2019 campaign. A total of 1,198 races were contested over 132 dates of racing. Te 2020 and 2021 seasons had delayed starts and interruptions because of the Covid pandemic.

“We’re very happy with the results of our 2022 season, our first full season in a few years,” said Jim Lawson, CEO of Woodbine Entertainment. “At the start of the pandemic, I felt that through determination and resiliency – which is the trademark of this industry – we would emerge stronger, and this record all-sources handle is evidence we are on the right track.”

Woodbine continued its sizable gains in the foreign market in 2022, taking in a record $515 million in foreign handle. The previous record for foreign handle in a season was $420 million in 2021.

Woodbine’s home-market area generated $87.2 million in handle this season.

Woodbine handled on average $519,016 per race in 2022, higher than any season pre-COVID. The average field size in 2022 was 8.2, which remains above the North America average.

“Our racing team did a fantastic job despite challenges in putting together competitive and sizable fields,” Lawson said. “Field size directly impacts our wagering, and we’re constantly looking at ways to keep our numbers healthy.”

Emma-Jayne Wilson celebrates with her wife, Laura Trotter, and their twin daughters, Grace and Avery, after winning the Seaway Stakes on Woodbine Mile Day on September 17, 2022 at Woodbine Race Track in Ontario, Canada.

Credit  Scott Serio/Eclipse Sportswire