TurfPublicists: FINAL SARATOGA HANDLE AND ATTENDANCE RELEASE

Monday, September 6, 2010

Contact: Dan Silver

EXPANDED SARATOGA MEET EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS, BUCKS INDUSTRY TRENDS, AND DOMINATES THOROUGHBRED WAGERING NATIONWIDE

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Wagering on races at Saratoga Race Course surpassed advance projections, decisively outpaced industry trends, and dominated handle on thoroughbred racing nationwide, according to statistics released today by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) as the 142^nd meet concluded.

Daily average all-sources handle for the expanded 40-day meet was down 3.4 percent compared to last year’s 36-day meet. All-sources handle for the six full weeks of the meet compared to last year’s six-week meet was down 2.6 percent, largely due to 2.5 percent fewer races run during the period. (All-sources handle combines wagers on Saratoga races both on-track and from simulcast outlets nationwide.)

Saratoga business outperformed the 7.3 percent decline in U.S. wagering year-to-date compared to 2009, and the 8.0 percent decline in wagering in August over the same month last year, as reported last Friday, September 3 by Equibase, the thoroughbred industry’s official statistics-gathering organization.

NYRA also reported that more than $353 million of $1.12 billion wagered on thoroughbred races at some 35 tracks operating in August – 32 percent – was bet at Saratoga.

Daily average attendance for the 40-day Saratoga meet was down 7.4 percent and average on-track handle was down 7.8 percent from the 36-day meet in 2009. (*See note on attendance below.)

NYRA officials noted that business on this year’s four additional days at Saratoga far exceeded the three Belmont Park 2009 days which they replaced, but contributed to the dip in daily averages due to the earlier July start. Attendance for the final weekend of the meet (September 4-6), however, exceeded 100,000.

“We budgeted all-sources handle – our predominant financial measure – to be down about five percent due to the continued economic downturn and the earlier July start, so we are gratified that these final figures beat our expectations,” said New York Racing Association President and CEO Charles Hayward. “We’ve seen incredible and competitive racing here day after day, including Blind Luck in the Betfair TVG Alabama, Afleet Express’ nose triumph in the Travers, and brilliant two-year-olds, exactly what makes Saratoga great. We thank our customers at Saratoga and nationwide for their enthusiastic support and we thank our owners, trainers, jockeys, and employees for ensuring that NYRA presents the highest-quality thoroughbred racing in the country.”

Comparing the 40-day 2010 meet with the 36-day 2009 meet:

· Daily average attendance was 21,957, down 7.4 percent from 23,734 in 2009;

· Daily average on-track handle was $2,867,329, down 7.8 percent from $3,111,274 in 2009;

· Daily average all-sources handle was $13,791,518, down 3.4 percent from $14,273,257 in 2009.

Comparing the six full weeks of the 2010 meet (36 days, not including the first four days) with the six-week (36 days) 2009 meet:

· Attendance is down 5.7 percent (805,832 vs. 854,413) for a daily average of 22,384 vs. 23,734;

· On-track handle is down 6.6 percent ($104,610,307 vs. $112,005,878) for a daily average of $2,905,842 vs. $3,111,274;

· All-sources handle is down 2.6 percent ($500,322,977 vs. $513,837,235) for a daily average of $13,897,860 vs. $14,273,257.

Comparing the 40-day 2010 meet with the 36-day 2009 meet PLUS the three days at Belmont Park in 2009 (which were replaced with four days at Saratoga in 2010):

· Total attendance is up 0.7 percent (878,284 vs. 872,150) with a daily average of 21,957 vs. 22,363;

· Total on-track handle is down 0.3 percent ($114,693,168 vs. $115,028,581) with a daily average of $2,867,329 vs. $2,949,451;

· Total all-sources handle is up 2.1 percent ($551,660,725 vs. $540,122,581) with a daily average of $13,791,518 vs. $13,849,297.

Average betting interests for the meet were 8.39 compared to 8.38 in 2009. Turf races totaled 187 with 23 taken off the turf.

* Note: Attendance figures for Giveaway Days include patrons who pay multiple admissions to obtain more than one giveaway item, either at the track entrance or at the multiple admissions area inside the track. There were four Giveaway Days in 2010 and four in 2009.

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