Toronto – Woodbine Entertainment Group today announced that total handle on Woodbine’s 2007 live Thoroughbred meet, which concluded December 9, increased 2.87 per cent over last year. The “all-sources” total of $343,059,524 was wagered during the 169-day meet, which began March 31, compared to the $333,489,560 recorded in 2006. Average field size at Woodbine was 9.0 horses per race this year, up from 8.6 in 2006.
It was the first full year of Polytrack, the partly synthetic racing surface, which was installed in the summer of 2006 and raced over for the first time on August 30, 2006.
“The Polytrack has really helped our field sizes in particular,” said Sean Pinsonneault, Woodbine Entertainment’s Vice-President of Wagering Services,” and our fans, throughout North America, are responding to the quality of the product accordingly. We are very pleased with the results because, not only did we see a 6.4% increase in the Toronto market, but we were also able to achieve increases in the simulcast export market despite the strength of the Canadian dollar.”
Overnight and stakes purses, including supplements and nominations fees, paid out in 2007 totalled $88.6 million versus $84.5 million last year.
The 2008 Woodbine Thoroughbred season is scheduled for 167 dates, beginning Saturday, April 5.
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