Total pari-mutuel handle on Saturday's 10-race GII Rebel Day card at Oaklawn was a record for March and a non-Arkansas Derby Day, eclipsing marks set from last year's corresponding program, despite one fewer race.
According to figures released Saturday night by the track, total handle was $10,771,984.46, with $2,089,754.20 wagered on track and a March record $8,682,230.26 bet off track. On last year's 11-race Rebel Day card, Oaklawn set non-Arkansas Derby Day and March records for total handle ($10,752,313.15) and off-track handle ($8,544,041.15).
Saturday's on-track handle was a season high and estimated attendance of 37,500 was the largest for Rebel Day since 2005.
“Absolutely delighted,” Oaklawn President Louis Cella said Tuesday afternoon. “We finally got a break in the weather. We had some of the best horses, 3-year-olds around, trying to test themselves and see if they're worthy to go forward. We could not have been happier, and 37,000-plus people agreed with me.”
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