Officials with the Woodbine Entertainment Group have announced that Woodbine Racetrack's 2015-16 Fall/Winter Standardbred meet, which concluded Monday (April 4), produced an eight per cent increase in wagering compared to the similar 2014-15 meet.
The average nightly handle over the course of the 102-date meet was $1,587,601. The 2015-16 average handle was up eight per cent in comparison to the 2014-15 Woodbine Fall/Winter meet (94 cards).
An average of $149,801 was wagered per race during the meet, registering a 14.2 per cent increase over the 2014-15 average race handle.
The highlight of the Woodbine Fall/Winter meet was a Canadian record handle on Breeders Crown night in October. A total of $5,748,950 was wagered on the card, including over $1.6 million in the mandatory Jackpot Hi-5 pool.
The 2015 Breeders Crown handle surpassed the former Canadian record of $5.2 million set at Woodbine in 2001 on Breeders Crown night.
A Pick-5 was introduced at the start of the meet and quickly gained popularity among horseplayers. The average Pick-5 pool throughout the meet was $32,626.
A guaranteed pool of $30,000 was implemented to the Pick-5 on February 29 and the average pool subsequently spiked to $41,530 over the final five weeks of the meet, including a meet-high $56,849 on Monday’s final card.
The all-sources wagering total for the 2015-16 Woodbine meet was $161,935,370
Woodbine Entertainment Group will now look to carry the momentum from the Woodbine Fall/Winter meet to Mohawk Racetrack.
The 144-date Mohawk meet will begin this Thursday (April 7). First-race post time is 7:30 p.m.
(With files from WEG)