RACING NOTES : Arlington, Citing Decline in Attendance, Trims Purses

Citing declines in average daily attendance and handle, officials of Arlington International Racecourse in Chicago have announced cuts in the value of five graded stakes races.

Officials also announced the cancellation of the $25,000 Perrault Handicap on Oct. 8, the final day of Arlington’s 134-day meeting.

The move will save Arlington $175,000 in purses.

Three $100,000 races--the Equipoise Mile, the Arlington Matron and the Arlington Oaks--were lowered to $75,000. The $150,000 Washington Park Handicap was cut to $100,000, while the $75,000 Swoon’s Song Handicap was downgraded to $50,000.

Several weeks ago, Arlington officials cut the value of several other stakes races by a total of $120,000.

Through the first 74 days of the meeting, Arlington averaged 10,196 in on-track attendance and $2,501,232 in overall handle.

During 1989’s 95-day meeting, daily attendance averaged 12,616 and the average handle was $2,572,584.

Many possible explanations have been offered for the decline. They include the opening of two dog tracks which are running concurrently in neighboring Wisconsin, major roadwork on highways near Arlington and the overall lackluster performance of the economy.

Keeneland will offer a record 3,558 horses at its 11-day September Yearling Sale that begins Sept. 8, officials announced in Lexington, Ky.

The previous record number of horses catalogued by Keeneland in September was 2,955 in 1988.

Among the sires represented by the yearlings are Alydar, Fappiano, Lyphard, Mr. Prospector, Nijinsky II, Nureyev, Seattle Slew, Secretariat and Storm Bird.

The 70th annual Fasig-Tipton yearling sales at Saratoga Springs, N.Y., concluded Thursday night with the sale of 52 horses, bringing the overall sales to $32,923,000.

The average cost per purchase Thursday was $209,701.

Overall, 157 horses were sold during the three-night session, but the average sale was down 13% from the 1989 session. Last year, 132 horses were sold at an average price of $240,492 for a gross of $31,745,000.