On-track handle held steady and all-sources handle slipped marginally at the 2010 Belmont Park Spring/Summer Meet compared to 2009 figures, decidedly outperforming industry-wide year-to-year decreases of 5.8 percent in June, 8.0 percent through the first six months of 2010, and double-digit handle drops at other recently-concluded spring thoroughbred meets, according to the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA).

“The Belmont numbers are a big win for NYRA given the reduced horse population and increased competition from the Monmouth Park experiment,” said NYRA president and CEO Charles Hayward.  “Meanwhile, the stalls at Saratoga are packed with two-year-olds, turf horses, and stakes horses, an encouraging sign of a powerful meet to come here at the Spa.”

Daily average on-track handle on races conducted at Belmont Park was $991,377, nearly even compared to $991,603 in 2009.  Total on-track handle for NYRA races at the 57-day meet was $56,508,485 compared to $63,462,612 for the 64-day 2009 meet.

Daily average all-sources handle, which combines wagers on Belmont Park races both on-track and from simulcast outlets nationwide, was $9,611,993, only 2.3 percent off the 2009 average of $9,841,614.  Total all-sources handle for NYRA races was $547,883,624 for the 57-day meet compared to $629,863,275 for the 64-day 2009 meet.

Hayward noted that Belmont Stakes Day handle decreases of 15.6 percent on-track and 16.8 percent all-sources compared to 2009 figures (which were record handles for a non-Triple Crown year) explicitly influenced the meet’s total numbers.

Daily average attendance was 5,096, down 8.8 percent from 5,588 in 2009. Total attendance for the 57-day meet was 290,494 compared to 357,659 for the 64-day 2009 meet.