An outstanding field and great weather this past Friday night helped spur wagering numbers for Molson Pace Night at The Raceway at Western Fair District to their highest levels in more than a decade.
The overall handle of $407,000 was up 24 per cent over last year. Meanwhile, wagering on the Molson Pace itself jumped from $98,000 to $117,000, marking an increase of almost 20 per cent over the 2013 totals.
“It was very encouraging to see and was a great way to cap off the meet,” said the track’s racing manager, Greg Blanchard. “There seemed to be a lot of buzz around the event this year and I think the main reason was the quality of the field that was assembled. The atmosphere was electric here by the time the Molson Pace went to the gate and the race did not disappoint.”
The London, Ont. oval is now dark for live racing until Wednesday, October 1. The track will be open seven days a week throughout the summer offering simulcast racing from across North America.
There have been several changes at the track in recent weeks, and those will continue this month with the conversion of the tote system over to AmTote as part of Ontario’s new Standardbred Alliance. Customers will now be able to wager on a state-of-the-art platform and will also now be able to use their HorsePlayer Interactive (HPI) account for wagering, deposits and withdrawals at any of the ‘Alliance’ locations and earn rewards on every betting dollar.
The conversion is expected to be completed by Tuesday, June 3.
(WFD)