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View Winners → 44,873 Racings Fans Turn Up for Santa Anita’s Opening Day
Arcadia Weekly Jan 06, 2016
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Some of the world’s top jockeys like Mike Smith, Victor Espinoza and Gary Stevens didn’t disappoint the 44,000 plus fans who showed up en masse on Boxing Day, the traditional opening day of the winter meet – Photos by Terry Miller
Santa Anita Park officials reported 44,873 were on hand for the Southern California track’s traditional day-after-Christmas opening on Saturday, the largest opening-day attendance since 1994.
On-track handle was $3,507,248, up slightly from 2014 ($3,431,886) but the fourth lowest opening-day on-track wagering total since 1974.
This year’s on-track attendance and total wagering translates to a $78 per capita for everyone who clicked through the turnstiles.
This year’s Santa Anita opening-day per capita of $78 marks the continuation of a downward trend, according to some experts.
According to the Paulick Report, an online horse racing website, “In 2005, when opening day attracted 34,590, on-track handle was $5,880,998, a per capita of $170. Five years later, in 2010, it was down to $112. Last year’s per capita for the 40,810 attendees was $84. It’s hard to see the glass as half full through those numbers.”
