by Mark McKelvie, WEG Communications

Toronto, ON — The 2015-16 Woodbine Fall/Winter Standardbred meet, which concluded Monday, showed a sharp increase in wagering over the 2014-15 season.

The average nightly handle over the course of the 102-date meet was $1,587,601. The 2015-16 average handle was up eight percent in comparison to the 2014-15 Woodbine Fall/Winter meet (94 cards). An average of $149,801 was wagered per race during the meet, registering a 14.2 percent increase over the 2014-15 average race handle.

The highlight of the Woodbine Fall/Winter meet was a Canadian record handle on Breeders Crown night in October. A total of $5,748,950 was wagered on the card, including more than $1.6 million in the mandatory Jackpot Hi-5 pool. The 2015 Breeders Crown handle surpassed the former Canadian record of $5.2 million set at Woodbine in 2001 on Breeders Crown night.

A Pick-5 was introduced at the start of the meet and quickly gained popularity among horseplayers. The average Pick-5 pool throughout the meet was $32,626. A guaranteed pool of $30,000 was implemented to the Pick-5 on Feb. 29 and the average pool subsequently spiked to $41,530 over the final five weeks of the meet, including a meet-high $56,849 on Monday’s final card.

The all-sources wagering total for the 2015-16 Woodbine meet was $161,935,370.

Woodbine Entertainment Group will now look to carry the momentum from the Woodbine Fall/Winter meet to Mohawk Racetrack. The 144-date Mohawk meet begins Thursday (April 7) with post time set for 7:30 p.m.