Wagering on U.S. races, plus available and paid purses, all saw increases to varying degrees when compared to a year ago in May, while the number of races declined during the month, according to information released by Equibase on Friday.
Total wagering of over $1.4 million on races during the month represented a 0.57% increase over the same period from 2023, while available purses of $124.6 million were up by 2.86%. The figure of over $119.9 million for paid purses in May was up 2.44%. However, the total number of race days dropped from 370 to 359 (-2.97%) and the number of U.S. races was down from 3,025 in May 2023 to last month's tally of 2,958.
Average field size in May was down slightly from over a year ago when it was 7.16, and checked in at an average of 7.10 runners, a decrease of 0.82%. Average daily wagering increased by 3.65% to $3,907,361 and the average available purse number per race day was up 9.78% to $347,292 from the figure of $316,351 in 2023.
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