Wagering on U.S. races was higher, and both available and paid purses saw increases when compared to a year ago in November, while the number of race days and races themselves saw an uptick during the month, according to information released by Equibase on Friday.
Total wagering of $921,122,693 on races during the month represented a 1.18% increase over the same period from 2023, while available purses of almost $128 million were up by 3.93%. The figure of over $121 million for paid purses in November was up 3.94%. As for the total number of race days, they went from 263 to 275 (+4.56%) and the number of U.S. races was up from 2,268 in November 2023 to last month's tally of 2,316 (+2.12%).
Average field size in November was slightly lower from over a year ago when it was 7.80, and checked in at an average of 7.77 runners, a decrease of .41%. Average daily wagering decreased by 3.23% to $3,349,537 and the average available purse number per race day was down .60% to $465,423 from the figure of $468,234 in 2023.
When it comes to the year-to-date figures, through November of 2023 wagering on U.S. races came in at $10.858 billion, while this year the amount is $10.583 billion (-2.54%). Those numbers include worldwide commingled wagering on U.S. races.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
