In a 40-day racing season that kicked off weeks after American Pharoah’s Triple Crown win at Belmont, racing fans are showing their enthusiasm for the sport at Saratoga.
A report by NYRA CEO Chris Kay to the agency’s board of directions revealed the first 15 days of the Saratoga meet were outperforming 2014 numbers in a handful of categories.
On-track handle rose 18.7 percent. All-source handle rose 19.8 percent. Food and beverage is up 25.6 percent and merchandising is up 27.4 percent.
Kay attributed the increases over 2014 to capital improvements made at the track.
Kay said while “all kinds of things can and often happen in horse racing” he expects a strong summer at the Spa.