Snow Blamed for Declines at Turfway Park

Snowfall and bitterly cold weather contributed to declines in attendance and betting totals during Turfway Park’s 23-day holiday racing schedule in December, race track officials said today.

Daily average attendance at the northern Kentucky thoroughbred track was 7,337, down by 25.2% from the 9,183 average of the holiday meet a year earlier. The average handle was $1.18 million, a 23.6% decline from $1.45 million during the 1988 holiday meet, Turfway officials said.

Two snowstorms and severe cold weather prompted seven days of cancellations at Turfway last month.

Before the 1989 holiday meet, Turfway had experienced increases in daily average attendance and handle for 10 consecutive race meets from fall, 1986, through the fall, 1988, meet, track spokesman Richard Eng said.

Turfway began its 1990 winter-spring racing schedule today by resuming a five-day schedule Wednesdays through Sundays. The meet continues through April 5 with its feature race, the Jim Beam Stakes, scheduled March 31.