Officials with Batavia Downs have released a recap of the track’s 2019 meet of live racing, which saw important metrics rise and particular records achieved.
Although the final day of racing was cancelled on Saturday (Dec. 14) due to bad weather conditions, the clubhouse that night was still sold out and the 400 or so patrons enjoyed Christmas music instead of race calls. But that was the norm at Batavia Downs in 2019: happy customers having fun at the races.
Indicators for every aspect of the racing product pointed toward positive territory, and in several areas showed record-breaking performances.
Betting-wise, the on-track handle was up 12.2 per cent, driven by a 5 per cent increase in attendance; the export signal was up 24 per cent, and Western Regional Off Track Betting (WROTB) revenue was up 5.3 per cent. All tolled, wagering from all sources was up a combined 19.9 per cent and provided the highest total handle at the track and the top three highest single night handles since WROTB reopened ‘The Downs’ in 2002.
The total handle was also $1.4 million higher than last year, and all of this was accomplished with three fewer race days on the schedule.
“Our customers came out in force, both live and at simulcast to support us all year, and we couldn’t be more grateful to them,” said Todd Haight, director/GM of live racing at Batavia Downs. “We gave them some of the best racing in the state this year and they validated it by betting us the whole season.”
There were several reasons for the increases, and they were all primarily driven by the eight legs of the New York Sire Stakes (NYSS), which culminated with the$1.8 million Night of Champions (NOC) finals in September. Along with the highest overnight purses ever offered at the track, Batavia Downs dolled out over $8.1 million in total purses this year, and that drew top horses and horsemen from across North America all year, which provided great betting opportunities for the customers.
The Downs also took full advantage of the Strategic Wagering Pool sponsored by the United States Trotting Association (USTA) and offered enhanced funds for exotic wagers that also provided free program pages for half the card on those nights. Aside from the NYSS NOC, which was the highest handle in the track’s history under WROTB ownership, the track saw its highest total nightly handles on cards where the Strategic Wagering Pools were offered.
“We had 14 Strategic Wagering opportunities during the course of the season and every one paid off. Many thanks to USTA Director Chris Schick and Social Media Director Michael Carter for their assistance with these wagers,” said Haight.
Two other factors for the increase include the simulcast department doing a great job marketing the live signal from Batavia and picking up many new customers this year, which drove the export numbers, and the track’s group sales department, which brought in 31 per cent more parties and events to the clubhouse than ever before and enhanced the live handle.
“A lot of the people we see during live racing were introduced to the sport by attending our live concert series over the summer. They actually walk across the track and ask questions about horse racing and then come back when the meet starts to see it,“ said Haight. “It’s really been a good selling point for us and we’ve made many new customers as a result.”
On the track, Billy Davis Jr. won his first driving title at Batavia Downs in 2019 by averaging two wins a night for the entire meet. His 131 wins, 102 seconds and 83 thirds from 629 starts earned him a Universal Driver Rating (UDR) of .342 for the meet. He also steered to his drives to $861,336 in purse earnings.
Jim Morrill Jr. was second with 79 wins, 56 seconds and 37 thirds with $921,527 in earnings and Dave McNeight III was third with 78 wins, 61 seconds and 70 thirds with $543,064 in purses.
On the training side, Jim Clouser Jr. also won his first Batavia Downs training title after scoring 51 wins, 29 seconds and 39 thirds out of 219 starts for a UTR of .366 and $361,413 in earnings. His stable members finished in the money 54 per cent of the time.
Finishing second in the trainer race was Maria Rice, who scored 43 wins, 31 seconds and 21 thirds from 190 starts and earned $358,234 in purses. The legendary Gerry Sarama finished third. His pupils started in a total of 246 races and recorded 32 wins, 40 seconds and 32 thirds with $256,619 in earnings.
Live racing will return to the oldest lighted harness racing track in America on July 22, 2020 pending approval from the New York State Gaming Commission.
(Batavia Downs)