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Saratoga Meet 2007 declared a success!
Saratoga and NYRA officials are calling the 2007 thoroughbred racing meet a success story.
"Our handle is up, record-breaking on track. $120-some odd million would be breaking the record of $117," said NYRA President and CEO Charlie Hayward.
The jump in handle money is only part of the story. More than 950,000 people poured through the gates, up nearly six percent from last year. But when you compare the numbers to 2006, you need to factor in the sweltering heat that forced many fans away -- and actually forced NYRA to cancel a day of racing. This year, the beautiful weather helped lead to more than $123 million bet on 347 races. And the average daily purses for those races soared nearly 17 percent up to nearly three quarters of a million dollars a day.
But with the numbers in the books, the racing world's attention now shifts to the battle for franchise rights. Governor Spitzer has announced that he has recommended the NYRA to retain the franchise rights for Saratoga , Belmont and Aqueduct racecourses.
"We're cautiously optimistic that we've demonstrated that we can fix the business," said Hayward .
But despite his confidence, Hayward said he doesn't know how things are going to turn out.
"I have a hard enough time handicapping horses. I'm not really good with politics," he said. |
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