Lone Star Park concluded its 65-day, 2008 Spring Thoroughbred meet on Sunday
last Sunday with increases in both average daily and overall attendance.
Average daily attendance rose just over 5 percent to 7,500 in 2008 compared
with 7,100 last year. Despite having two fewer days of racing in 2008, 65
compared to 67 in a year ago, Lone Star Park’s overall attendance increased by
nearly 10,000, from 475,097 in 2007 to 484,879 this year. The 5.2 percent
average daily attendance increase is the largest annual increase in the history
of Lone Star Park. The previous high was 1.5 percent in 2002 from 2001.
“We are extremely pleased with the growth in attendance during our 2008 meet
and would like to thank all of our loyal customers who came out to Lone Star
Park,” Lone Star Park President and General Manager Drew Shubeck said. “In
addition to the live racing, our big event days and a very successful concert
series, as well as Big Brown’s (Boundary) exciting run at the Triple Crown,
provided our fans with great entertainment throughout the meet.”
Average daily wagering on Lone Star Park’s live racing, both on and off
track, slipped 2.3 percent to $1.63 million from $1.67 million in 2007. In
addition, average daily on-track wagering, which includes betting by on-track
customers on both Lone Star Park’s live races and simulcast races imported by
the track, was $1.03 million, a 6.1-percent decrease from $1.09 million last
year.
In 2008, the all-sources average daily handle slipped to $2.25 million
compared to last year’s $2.34 million, a 3.7-percent decline.
“While more people attended the races at Lone Star Park this year, the
economy clearly had an negative impact on how much they had to spend when they
were here,” Shubeck added. “In addition, the loss of wagering from the Account
Deposit Wagering companies also contributed to our lower handle figures.”
All-time Lone Star Park leading jockey Cliff Berry, who won titles in 2005
and 2006, topped all riders with 91 victories to increase his career total to
621 while making it three jockey championships in the last four years. His
streak was interrupted by Ramsey Zimmerman last year.
Like in 2007, the nation’s leading trainer, Steve Asmussen, led the trainer
standings with 78 wins. It marks Asmussen’s 10th trainer title in the last 11
years and increases his all-time Lone Star Park career wins to 802.
MONTEREY JAZZ (Thunderello), winner of the Texas Mile S. (G3) on the April 26
Lone Star Million Preview Day, was voted the Horse of the Meet.