More than $3.4 million wagered by 18,689 in attendance
Courtesy Lone Star Park
Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie had its second best single Spring Thoroughbred Season on-track handle in track history as the 18,689 in attendance wagered $3,418,066, just $34,357 short of the record $3,452,423 set last year.
The $2,497,039 wagered on simulcasts, including the Kentucky Derby, was also the second highest in Lone Star history, only $61,804 shy of the record $2,558,843 bet in 2007. On track wagering on Lone Star Park's Derby Day 12-race card was $921,027, a 3-percent increase from last year's $893,580.
Local wagering on the Churchill Downs' Kentucky Derby Day program totaled $1,604,658, including $1,117,476 on the "Run for the Roses." Lone Star's Drive-Thru Wagering was $150,345 as 866 vehicles passed through Gate 2.
The 2008 Kentucky Derby Day handle of $3,418,066 was fourth best in track history behind only the 2004 Breeders' Cup World Championships ($13,603,202), the day before that year's Breeders' Cup ($4,005,985) and last year's Derby Day ($3,452,423).
Saturday's attendance of 18,689 was the fourth largest Kentucky Derby crowd in Lone Star Park history, surpassed only by crowds of 25,415 in 1997, 20,618 in 1998 and 19,268 in 1999 on the first Saturday in May.
Lone Star Park will run its 65-day Spring Thoroughbred Season from April 10 through July 27, 2008 with live racing every Thursday through Sunday. The first live race begins at 6:35 p.m. on weeknights and 1:35 p.m. on weekends and Monday, May 26, with two special 5 p.m. twilight programs on July 3-4 that include post-race fireworks. Additional information on Lone Star Park can be found online at www.lonestarpark.com.
