On Wednesday, October 12, the Woodbine Entertainment Group announced that the average nightly wagering handle during its 2011 Mohawk standardbred meet, which concluded Saturday, October 1, was up
over last year.
The 'all-sources' betting total of $124,633,640 represents a three per cent increase over last year. Per-night handle showed an increase of 4.1 per cent over 2010, as $1,284,883 was the average nightly betting total for the 97-day meet.
WEG 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 $3,087,307 wagered, while $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 WEG Vice-President of Standardbred Racing Bruce Murray. "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 over $1.6 million was wagered on the October 1 racing card which featured eight $100,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots finals.
Woodbine's Fall/Winter meet, which runs through to May 2012, will feature some major stakes events, including the October 29 Breeders Crown championships, which will offer over $6 million in purses, and the $2.4 million Super Finals for the top performers in the Ontario Sires Stakes program on November 12.
Racing will return to Mohawk for its 49th year on Thursday, May 17, 2012.
(WEG)