by Greg Gangle, WEG media
Toronto, ON — Woodbine Entertainment Group today announced that the average nightly wagering handle on the 2011 Mohawk Standardbred meet, which concluded Saturday (Oct. 1), was up over last year.
The “all-sources” betting total of C$124,633,640 represents a three percent increase over last year. Per night handle showed an increase of 4.1 percent over 2010 as C$1,284,883 was the average nightly betting total for the 97-day meet.
The company was especially pleased by the betting numbers on its major race nights in the summer. The North America Cup card proved successful once again with C$3,087,307 wagered, while C$2,452,687 was wagered on the Metro Pace program.
“The growth in wagering over the Mohawk season is largely attributable to increasing business from the U.S., but we are also pleased to see growth in other markets,” said Bruce Murray, WEG’s Vice-President of Standardbred Racing. “A lot of emphasis is placed on marketing the major race events, so the on-track numbers produced for the North America Cup, Maple Leaf Trot and Metro Pace nights are encouraging signs.”
Mohawk ended its racing meet in fine form as more than C$1.6 million was wagered on the Oct. 1 racing card which featured eight C$100,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots finals.
Woodbine’s Fall/Winter meet, which runs through May 2012, will feature some major stakes events including the Breeders Crown championships offering more than C$6 million in purses, which is held on Oct. 29, and the C$2.4 million Super Finals for the top performers in the Ontario Sires Stakes program on Nov. 12.
Racing will return to Mohawk for its 49th year on Thursday, May 17, 2012.