This Monday marked the conclusion of another impressive summer meet at Saratoga Race Course. The New York Racing Association has now reported that the 2022 season has accumulated a record-breaking all-sources wagering handle. Meanwhile paid attendance has surpassed 1 million visitors for the 7th consecutive year, with the exception of 2020, when fans were not allowed at the tracks.
Saratoga Race Course’s 2022 summer meet kicked off on Thursday, July 14, 2022, and officially concluded on Monday, September 5, 2022. The season attracts plenty of interest from horse racing fans and it included some exciting events such as the 153rd running of the Runhappy Travers, Grade 1, US$1 million Whitney and several other Grade 1s.
Record-Breaking Season
As the meet concluded on Monday, the New York Racing Association informed that this year’s edition has broken the track’s all-source betting handle for the third time in the last four years. Attendance has also spiked to new heights as according to NYRA, the meet attracted over 1,075,586 fans in paid attendance, which is over 29k more than last year’s meet.
According to the association, the 153rd edition of the Runhappy Travers generated an amazing US$55.6 million in handle and over 49,000 people in paid attendance. Overall, the handle for the 2022 season reached the whooping US$878,211,963, which is an improvement of US$62,700 from the US$815,508,063 back from the last year’s running of the meet.
President and CEO of NYRA, Dave O’Rourke, shared the summer meet has brought record-breaking handle, strong attendance, and the highest viewership of ‘Saratoga Live’ on FOX sports, which is a statement for the track’s appreciation from millions of fans. He also thanked owners, trainers, and the backstretch community for their effort and commitment to the horses they put on every summer.
Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce President Todd Shimkus said that the horse racing track is a massive economic engine for growth in the region, and this year has been a prime example of it. He believes that interest in the sport has been reborn this year in the oldest sporting venue in the U.S. and he is now looking forward to what the future will bring to the track and the sector.
And in order to celebrate the end of another extraordinary meet, NYRA hosted a premium giveaway for its many fans on the last week of races. Guests were able to obtain a mini umbrella by NYRA Bets in red and white colours which comes with the iconic red logo of the Saratoga Race Course. There was also free ice cream from Stewart’s Shops for attendees to enjoy.
Enhancing Housing Conditions
At the end of August 2022, the New York State Gaming Commission said that the organization will work on improving housing conditions at racetrack backstretches. The board chair of the commission Brian O’Dwyer did not specify what was the cause of concerns at the track but said that he will address it in the near future.
Source: Liberatore, Wendy “Handle, attendance hit records again at Saratoga Race Course” TimesUnion, September 5, 2022
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