Toronto – Woodbine Entertainment Group today announced that despite a modest start to Woodbine’s 2006 live Thoroughbred meet, which concluded December 10, the company has momentum heading into 2007 after strong second-half results.
It was a year in which Woodbine became the first track in Canada and second in North America to install Polytrack, a revolutionary, partly synthetic racing surface which provides a soft cushion for horse and rider. Racing over Polytrack was presented for the first time on August 30.
To accommodate the reconstruction of the main track to Polytrack, Thoroughbred racing was conducted over a dirt-covered standardbred racing oval for 29 dates, from July 8 to August 27.
Total handle during the Polytrack era was a strong $157,445,000, compared to $151,152,000 in 2005, an increase of 4.2%.
Average field size at Woodbine was 8.6 horses per race this year, up from 8.5 in 2005. During the Polytrack era, 9.2 horses were carded per race, compared to 8.5 last year, an increase of 8.2%.
An “all-sources” total of $333,489,534 was wagered during the 162-day meet, which began April 1, compared to the 364,750,930 recorded in 2005, a decrease of 8.6%.
“We had a slow start to the year, but after Polytrack was installed we really noticed an improvement in our key numbers like handle and field size,” said Sean Pinsonneault, Woodbine Entertainment’s Vice-President of Wagering Services. “We have some momentum going into 2007.”
Overnight and stakes purses paid out in 2006 totalled $81.4 million versus $82.7 million paid last year.
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