The King's Plate race card, rescheduled to Friday following torrential rains on its originally scheduled date last Saturday, produced total wagering handle of $11.6 million. The three-day weekend total handle was $24.5 million.
“After Mother Nature had other plans for us last weekend, Friday was picture perfect for the King's Plate and the racing was outstanding,” said Michael Copeland, CEO of Woodbine. “We couldn't have pulled off such a memorable day without the tremendous support of our racing fans, racing participants and entire Woodbine team.”
With the original King's Plate card cut short, Woodbine provided ticketholders with refunds, while offering free admission to Friday's rescheduled event.
The decision to run the King's Plate Friday came after track officials analyzed the racing and simulcast market for the following weekend in an attempt to determine the best way to maximize wagering over the course of the weekend, according to a Woodbine release.
Following Friday's card, Woodbine handled $6.4 million on Saturday's card, which went head-to-head with Travers Day at Saratoga. Sunday's card of live racing generated $6.4 million in wagering.
The 2023 King's Plate card, held on a Sunday, yielded record handle of $18,127,726, up from the previous record of $18,005,973 generated in 2019.
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