Final Meet Numbers Show Growth at Keeneland

Keeneland May 2 released final spring-meet numbers that show growth in on-track wagering and field size for the 16-day meet that ended April 29.

On-track pari-mutuel handle of $17,974,896 was up 11.3% from $16,142,325 for a 15-day meet in 2015. Average daily on-track handle increased 4.4% from $1,076,155 to $1,123,431.

Track officials said the April 9 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) program produced an all-time single-day record handle of $21,736,983, with $20,805,455 bet on Keeneland's 11-race Saturday program. Of the remainder, $423,679 was bet on the Big Apple/Bluegrass Pick 4, while on-track wagering on signals from other tracks totaled $507,849.

Average field size this spring was 8.43, up from 8.07 for the 2015 spring meet, according to The Jockey Club Information Systems. Purses averaged $624,054 per day versus $652,721 last spring when there was one less racing day.

Keeneland recorded its fourth-highest spring meet attendance with a count of 262,197, up 4.7% from the corresponding meet last year. Average daily attendance of 16,387 dipped slightly from 16,697 in 2015.

"The momentum from last fall's Breeders' Cup carried forward to this spring and contributed to so many positives during this race meet," Keeneland president Bill Thomason said in a statement. "The loyalty of our fans and horsemen and the strong support of our corporate and media partners are very gratifying. These relationships are key to Keeneland's success."

Officials noted that 35 horses that competed in the 2015 World Championships at Keeneland last fall returned to race at the spring meet; six stakes at the meet were won by 2015 Breeders' Cup winners.

"One of our goals in hosting the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland was to further enhance the quality of racing during our spring and fall meets," Keeneland vice president of racing Rogers Beasley said. "It's very rewarding to see these great champions come back to Keeneland."