Monmouth
Park’s 2010 Elite Summer
Meet, which began as an experiment on May 22, finished as a total triumph on
September 6, with triple-digit gains in average mutuel handle and double-digit
gains in average attendance and average field size.
During the 49-day Elite Meet, Monmouth offered the highest daily purses in the
nation ($797,079), resulting in larger fields of better quality horses. (The
50th day of the Elite Meet will be run on Sept. 18, as part of the Fall Meet).
Racing just three days a week (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays plus three
holiday Mondays), the 2010 stand surpassed last year’s 82-day meet (through
Labor Day 2009) in total betting and on-track wagering.
“We were cautiously optimistic that this kind of boutique meeting would work,”
said Dennis Robinson, president and CEO of the New Jersey Sports &
Exposition Authority, “but I don’t think any of us expected a blockbuster like
this. The fans and the horsemen made this a meeting to remember.”
Total betting at Monmouth this year hit $389,550,798, an 87 percent spike above
last year’s total of $208,390,601 for 82 days. On-track handle totaled
$37,558,779 for 49 days this year, topping last season’s $35,050,572 for 82
days.
The averages skyrocketed across the board. Average daily handle of $7,950,016
represented an incredible 213 percent gain over last year. Average on-track
handle of $766,506 was 79 percent higher than last year’s average of $427,446.
Average attendance this year hit 10,651, a rise of 47 percent over last year.
Field size, a crucial factor in attracting increased wagering, jumped 25
percent this year, as 2010 fields averaged 9.28 runners per race, as opposed to
7.44 last year.
“The dramatic increase in field size is one of the most critical factors in our
increased business,” Robinson said. “The fans responded enthusiastically to the
larger fields the way we hoped they would.”
Day-to-day comparisons of this year’s racing schedule to last year’s business
on the comparable days (Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holiday Mondays) yields
similar greatly improved figures.
Monmouth’s total average daily handle of $7,950,016, represented a jump of 114
percent over the similar days last year. Average on-track handle of $766,506
this year, showed a gain of 42 percent over last year. Track average attendance
of 10,651 this meet, was a gain of 16 percent over last year.
Once again, Haskell Day provided the biggest afternoon of the meet. A crowd of
40,904 helped set an all-time betting record for the IZOD Haskell Invitational
(G1), with $4,463,736 wagered on the race, which was won by Lookin at Lucky.
Total handle for the 14-race card hit $17,442,170 * the
second highest ever for a non-Breeders’ Cup program, and just a shade below the
2008 mark of $17,642,955 when $4,257,409 was bet on the Haskell.
The race for leading trainer at the Elite Meet went right down to the wire and
resulted in a three-way tie as Bruce Alexander, Todd Pletcher and Steve
Asmussen each captured 20 races.
Paco Lopez, with 69 victories, held off a fast closing Elvis Trujillo (67 wins)
to take his first Monmouth title.
George and Lori Hall’s horses, trained by Kelly Breen, won 13 races at the meet
to earn them the owners’ title.