Wagering Up 7.5% In Maryland For 2012 Season
Wagering Up 7.5% In Maryland For 2012 Season
LAUREL, MD. 01-05-13---The Maryland Jockey Club concluded its 2012 racing season earlier this week, posting average wagering figures which were 7.5% higher than 2011. The average daily handle went from $2.27 million to $2.44 million. The year featured 145 live racing dates and 206 simulcast days.
Live handle figures increased nearly 6% from $176,300 to $186,700, while the export numbers grew almost 17% from $1.7 million to $1.975 million per day.
“It is significant news that the live and export numbers increased from a year ago,” Maryland Jockey Club president Tom Chuckas said. “We finished strong at Pimlico in the spring and kept the momentum going during the Laurel Park fall meeting. I attribute the boost to increased purses, as we are running for $250,000 per day, which is up $90,000, improved field sizes and more aggressive marketing.”
FIELD SIZE COMPARISON
| 2012 | |
| Overall | 10,876 runners in 1,376 races (7.90 average) |
| Laurel Fall | 5,346 runners in 639 races (8.37 average) |
| Pimlico Spring | 2,413 runners in 302 races (7.99 average) |
| Laurel | 3,117 runners in 435 races (7.17 average) |
|
2011 |
|
| Overall | 10,106 runners in 1,325 races (7.63 average) |
| Fall | 4,860 runners in 612 races (7.94 average) |
| Pimlico Spring | 2,264 runners in 297 races (7.62 average) |
| Winter | 2,982 runners in 416 races (7.17 average) |
Total attendance was up at Pimlico Race Course as the Preakness day crowd improved from 107,398 to a record 121,309. Performances by Grammy Award winner Maroon 5 and Billboard Music Award winner Wiz Khalifa in the infield plus the early arrival of Kentucky Derby winner I’ll Have Another into Baltimore 12 days before the middle jewel of racing’s Triple Crown contributed to make last year’s Preakness a must-see event.
