CROWDS UP AT OAK TREE : HANDLE DOWN BY 8 PERCENT; MEETING ENDS.Byline: Brad Nelson Brad Nelson (born December 23, 1982 in Algona, Iowa), is a minor league baseball player in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. He has played first base and outfield. He was acquired by the Brewers in the fourth round of the 2001 amateur draft. Daily News Staff Writer As the Oak Tree meeting came to a close Monday at Santa Anita Santa Anita may refer to:
Reversing a national trend in the sport, the average on-track attendance was actually up about 1 percent from the meeting a year ago. The average on-track attendance for this 27-day meeting was 12,451, compared to 12,320 for last year's 32-day Oak Tree meeting. At the same time, the average on-track handle was down more than 8 percent from a year ago. The numbers left officials with the encouraging feeling that they are getting more new fans to the racetrack - the kind of people who are inclined to bet a lot less than the regulars. ``On-track attendance has been down in every California racing association, except for Oak Tree,'' said Sherwood C. Chillingworth, Oak Tree director and vice president. ``You have to give a lot of credit to the marketing effort, which has gotten groups out who have been introduced to the sport. Hopefully, many of them will come back.'' The most pleasing figures to track officials came from the opening and closing weekends of the meet. On-track attendance was up 7,055 over '95 in the first weekend and up 8,100 in the final weekend. This past Sunday's attendance was more than 23,000 - the track was projecting about 16,000. The drop in Oak Tree handle can be largely attributed to the many added betting opportunities presented by full-card simulcasting from Bay Meadows, plus Friday and Saturday night wagering wa·ger n. 1. a. An agreement under which each bettor pledges a certain amount to the other depending on the outcome of an unsettled matter. b. A matter bet on; a gamble. 2. on races from places such as Los Alamitos Los Alamitos (lôs ăləmē`təs, lŏs), city (1990 pop. 11,676), Orange co., NE of Long Beach, S Calif., in a suburban area; inc. 1960. Los Alamitos Racetrack and U.S. military installations are nearby. and Cal Expo (harness racing harness racing: see horse racing. harness racing Horse-racing sport. In harness racing, Standardbred horses are harnessed to lightweight, two-wheeled, bodiless (seat-only) vehicles known as sulkies. The sport's origins date to ancient chariot races. ), not to mention Hong Kong Hong Kong (hŏng kŏng), Mandarin Xianggang, special administrative region of China, formerly a British crown colony (2005 est. pop. 6,899,000), land area 422 sq mi (1,092 sq km), adjacent to Guangdong prov. and Australia. The supply of simulcasts is never-ending, something that cannot be said of the patrons' money, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Oak Tree general manager and Santa Anita president Cliff Goodrich. ``People are running out of money,'' said Goodrich. ``We're wearing out our core business. We are getting the same people day after day betting on 20 and 30 and 40 races, where they used to bet on nine.'' Goodrich has also heard the regular bettors' common complaint - small fields that provide less-attractive betting options - and hopes Santa Anita can alleviate the problem once its winter meeting begins on Dec. 26. In all likelihood, Santa Anita will have just eight races - down from nine - on weekdays and nine-race cards on weekends, when there were sometimes 10 races in the past. ``There are clearly going to be fewer racing events than there has been in the past,'' Goodrich said. ``The fans are tired of short fields. Last year, we averaged around 8.4 horses per race. . . . Our goal is to average nine horses The group called Nine Horses is a collaboration between David Sylvian, his brother and frequent collaborator Steve Jansen and electronic composer/remixer Burnt Friedman. per race. We are convinced that's going to put a better product on the racetrack, and we are convinced that's what the fans want to see.'' Victorious return: After missing two days following a spill on Friday, jockey Chris McCarron Christopher John "Chris" McCarron (b. March 27 1955, Boston, Massachusetts) is an American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame retired jockey. He was introduced to the sport of thoroughbred racing by his older brother, jockey Gregg McCarron. returned to win the closing-day $150,000-added Carleton F. Burke Handicap with Dernier Empereur at 1-1/2 miles on the turf. ``After getting out of the hospital, I had some herbal rub applied to my body (Sunday),'' said McCarron, who suffered a back injury in the spill. ``It smells terrible, but it really works.'' McCarron, in his only ride of the day, rallied Dernier Empereur coming into the stretch and he pulled away to an impressive three-length victory over Bon Point before 10,515 fans. The final time was 2:24.1. The 6-year-old Dernier Empereur had won the Del Mar Del Mar is the name of several places in the United States of America:
adj. Restricted to invited participants: an invitational golf tournament. n. An event, especially a sports tournament, restricted to invited participants. Adj. 1. Handicap and the Escondido Handicap in August before finishing fifth in the Canadian International in late September. The winning trainer was Ben Cecil, who has also inherited Donna Viola from trainer Christian Wall. Donna Viola won the Yellow Ribbon Stakes The Yellow Ribbon Stakes is a Grade I race for thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three-years-old and upwards. It is raced during the Oak Tree Racing Association meeting at Santa Anita Park in late September / early October. on Sunday. Hollywood next: Hollywood Park's 36-day autumn meeting begins Wednesday. It's the start of a six-day week because of a special Veterans Day card on Monday. First post will be at 12:30 p.m. daily except Fridays - when racing begins at 7 p.m. - and Thanksgiving Day (11 a.m.) CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Stage Door wins the fourth race at Santa Anita on the last day of the meeting. Hollywood Park's 36-day meeting starts Wednesday. Gus Ruelas / Daily News |
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