Keeneland shows record attendance during concluded Fall
Meet
Keeneland concluded its 2007 Fall race meeting on Saturday with record
attendance for the 17-day meeting, which was conducted October 5 through 27.
On-track attendance totaled a fall record 239,296. It exceeded last fall’s
233,218, ranking as the second-largest attendance in track history, just behind
the 244,145 recorded in the 2006 Spring meet A Fall meet Friday record crowd of
20,024 was set on College Scholarship Day, October 12, and was
nearly broken the following Friday when 19,039 people attended the races.
Though handle figures are not yet finalized, total all-sources wagering,
including on-track, off-track and whole-card simulcasts conducted at Keeneland,
was at a near-record $139 million. The fall meet record handle of
$140,408,982 was set last year.
“This was a very strong meet, and it speaks well for our horsemen and our
fans,” Keeneland President and CEO Nick Nicholson said. “Our horsemen supported
us with great racing throughout the meet. Despite unusually hot fall weather and
smaller Saturday crowds, our fans responded enthusiastically to our efforts to
promote weekday racing, resulting in record attendance.”
Leading trainer honors were decided in the final race of the meet, the Fayette
S. (G1), which was won by Bill Mott’s GO BETWEEN (Point Given). With the win, Mott scored his
200th career victory at Keeneland and cinched his fifth Keeneland training title
with nine wins from 39 starts. Mott has previously won Fall meet titles in 1981
(tie) and 1986, and in the spring of 1995 and 2001. Kenny McPeek and Graham Motion
tied for second-place with seven wins each.
Jockey Rafael Bejarano earned his third Fall meet leading rider title (2004,
2005, 2007), and fourth overall (tied with Julien Leparoux for honors in the
spring 2006). Bejarano posted 21 wins from 80 mounts, including the Alcibiades (G1) with Country Star
(Empire Maker) on opening day. Leparoux ranked second in the
standings with 15 wins, while Robby Albarado finished third with 14 victories.
William T. Young Jr.’s Overbrook Farm and Ken & Sarah Ramsey share Fall
meet leading owner honors, finishing in a tie with six wins each. It is the
eighth Fall meet crown for Overbrook, which previously won in 1990 (tie), 1991
(tie), 1993, 1994 (tie), 1995, 1996 and 1997. Overbrook also earned leading
owner honors in the spring of 1994 (tie) and 2003 (tie). The Ramseys earned
their third Fall meet title, winning previously in 2000 (tie) and 2002, and
fifth title overall (spring honors in 2004 [tie] and 2006).