by Mark McKelvie, WEG Communications

Toronto, ON — Woodbine Entertainment Group today announced that per race handle for the 2014-15 Woodbine Standardbred Fall-Winter meet, which concluded on April 6, was up in comparison to the same period during 2013-14.

A total of 94 race cards were held at Woodbine between Oct. 16, 2014 and April 6, 2015, 22 more race dates than the same period over the 2013-14 racing season.

The 2014-15 Woodbine Standardbred Fall-Winter meet recorded an “all-sources” betting total of $138,154,596.15. The average per race handle for the meet was $136,922.30, a 7.2 percent increase over the same period a year prior.

A handle of $4,696,209 on April 4 was the largest handle of the Fall-Winter meet. The significant handle was powered by a record-setting Jackpot Hi-5 pool of $2,581,505 wagered into a carryover pool of $847,458 for a total of $3,428,963. More than $3 million was paid out to horseplayers who had the winning Jackpot Hi-5 combination.

The single-race handle on the Jackpot Hi-5 dash on the April 4 card of $2,966,808 set a new industry record for largest single-race handle, while the Jackpot Hi-5 pool set a record as the largest total for a single pool.

Sylvain Filion finished the Winter-Fall meet as the leading driver with 119 wins. The veteran reinsman finished the meet as the only driver to top $2 million in earnings.

On the training side, Richard Moreau led all conditioners with 87 wins and earnings of more than $1.1 million.

The 118-date Mohawk Racetrack Spring-Summer meet kicks off Thursday (April 9).