field size

Betting on U.S. Thoroughbred races was up again year over year in November 2021, while the industry saw a major spike in purses for the month, according to figures released by Equibase Monday. The numbers continue the positive economic trends the sport has seen this year as it slowly emerges from the toll taken by the pandemic. A total of $961,813,331 was wagered on U.S. races in November, up 7.4% from the November 2020 figure of $895,546,532. The November 2021 number is more flat when compared with November 2019, when...

According to figures released Tuesday by Equibase, through the first three-quarters of 2021 wagering on U.S. horse racing is up 13.8% over 2020 totals. At the end of September, $9,498,141,414 had been wagered on the sport, a sizeable increase over the comparable figure of 2020 when $8,346,543,422 had been bet. With a strong final quarter, the amount bet on U.S. racing for the year could top $12 billion. That would be the most bet during a year since $11.4 billion was wagered in 2010. The record for most wagered in...

Northern Kentucky's Turfway Park wrapped up a five-week holiday meet Dec. 31 with increases in wagering, average daily handle, and field size. All-sources wagering for the meet was up to $32.3 million, a 34.6% or $8.3-million increase from last year in spite of three fewer race dates. The average daily handle of $2.48 million was up 65.6% from the previous year's number of $1.5 million. In addition, average field size grew slightly from 10.3 starters per race to 10.5. A new Tapeta surface was installed last summer. Jockey Gerardo Corrales...

Despite a racing calendar ravaged by the coronavirus, all-sources handle on U.S. racing in 2020 declined by just .98%. According to Equibase, total handle on the year was $10,925,226,444 or $108,597,919 less than what it was in 2019. Had the Triple Crown races not been rescheduled, it's possible that handle might have risen on the year. The total handle for the three race days combined dropped by $208 million, or more than what handle was off for the entire year. "The horse racing community is extremely resilient as borne out...

For the American Graded Stakes Committee, 2020 presented challenges unlike anything it has faced before as the pandemic played havoc with racing schedules and caused the cancellation of numerous stakes. The TDN sat down with the committee's chairman Everett Dobson to discuss the challenges, why it made the changes that it did for 2021 and what might in store for future years. TDN: Take us through what the process entails when it comes to evaluating stakes races. What are the numbers that you crunch? ED: We look at a tremendous...

Editor's Note: As a service to the industry and in consideration of the economic changes due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Equibase is currently providing monthly reporting of its Economic Indicators Advisories. The Advisory is typically disseminated on a quarterly basis to provide key metrics used to measure racing's performance throughout the year. * Includes worldwide commingled wagering on U.S. races. August 2020 vs. August 2019 Indicator                                              August 2020 ...

According to figures supplied by Equibase, total wagering on U.S. races rose slightly in June, a welcome development after handle plummeted in March, April and May, the months when racing was most impacted by the coronavirus. A total of $998,448,300 was bet during the month, a 0.76% increase over 2019 numbers. Handle was off by 30.16& percent in May, 24.42% in April and 22.8% in March. The improved handle numbers were the result of more racetracks opening up, albeit most without fans allowed in the stands. The number of races...