Leopardstown betting down sharply The attendance at Leopardstown today was virtually identical to the number that turned out for the BHP Insurance Irish Champion Hurdle meeting 12 months ago but betting figures were down sharply. The crowd was just one less than the corresponding fixture last year at 7029, while the Tote and bookmakers turnover showed a steep fall. The turnover in the betting ring was €621,776, down just over 20% on last year's figure of €785,275. Persistent rain throughout the day was obviously a contributory factor. The Tote aggregate was down a massive 44% at €274,109, compared with €490,277, although €241,000 was bet into the pool from France last year. Incidentally Saturday's attendance at Leopardstown of 5057 was up over 300 on the corresponding meeting in 2011 which was held on a Sunday. The bookmakers turnover for Saturday's meeting showed only a slight drop at €487,507 (2% down on last year), although the Tote figure of €151,753 was down 22%.
