INGLEWOOD, Calif. (Dec. 28, 2007) - Hollywood Park, despite going against a meeting which included the Breeders' Cup simulcast, closed its 32-day Autumn Meet on Saturday with average daily handle of $10.9 million - up 5.1 percent from the figure of $10.4 million in 2006.
"Last year was the only time simulcast wagering on the Breeders' Cup was available during the Autumn Meet, so we're ecstatic with this year's increase," track president Jack Liebau said. "Excluding Breeders' Cup day, we finished ahead in on-track wagering and up eight percent in total handle."
On-track attendance averaged 4,944, up 3.6 percent from the figure of 4,775 in 2006. The on-track average handle of $1.3 million was down 4.8 percent from $1.4 million in 2006, but excluding Breeders' Cup day, on-track handle was up 1.6 percent.
An eight percent increase in Advance Deposit Wagering on Hollywood Park races helped boost handle figures. Eighty-five percent of ADW money came through TVG and YouBet.com at the first Southern California meeting with all four California-licensed providers on line.
The Autumn Meet was highlighted by the Turf Festival on Thanksgiving Weekend and deep, quality fields in the major stakes races, including 12 starters in the $750,000 CashCall Futurity on closing day.
The CashCall Futurity, sponsored by J. Paul Reddam's consumer loans company, drew several horses from across the country and generated the best handle at the meeting with an on-track count of $2,509,860 and total handle of $18,888,831.
The handle on CashCall Futurity Day was the highest at an Autumn Meet other than when Hollywood Park was host to the Breeders' Cup in 1997 and when the Breeders' Cup simulcast fell on the opening weekend of the 2006 Autumn Meet - the only time that has occurred in track history.
Average field size was 8.6 starters, compared to 8.5 a year ago. Fields averaged 8.7 starters on Cushion Track and 8.3 on the Lakeside Turf Course. Purses averaged $425,217, compared to $389,000 in 2006.
