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A crowd of 147,294 witnessed Rich Strike's (Keen Ice) 80-1 upset in the 148th running of the GI Kentucky Derby Saturday at Churchill Downs. Wagering from all-sources on the Kentucky Derby Day program totaled $273.8 million, a 17% increase over 2021 and up 9% from the previous record in 2019 of $250.9 million. Wagering from all-sources on the Kentucky Derby race totaled $179.0 million, up 15% over 2021 and up 8% from the previous record of $166.5 million set in 2019. This year's wagering record includes $8.3 million of handle...

Keeneland closed its 2022 Spring Meet Friday with all-sources handle in excess of $219 million to establish an all-time meet wagering record for the track, and a third consecutive season of record handle. The Lexington oval offered record average daily purses of $1.147 million, attracting an average of 9.1 starters per race. "This Spring Meet was unmatched in many measures, most of all the fact that everyone seemed to revel in the energy of having fans back in full force on race days," said Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin....

Monmouth Park jockeys will once again be allowed to use their whips to encourage their mounts when the meet kicks off May 7. The change was made during a special hearing held Friday by the New Jersey Racing Commission, which voted to rescind rules that were put in place prior to the 2021 Monmouth meeting that allowed whipping only in cases where it was needed for safety reasons. New Jersey was the only state in the country where whipping was banned. Monmouth's whipping rules were set to change July 1,...

Betting on U.S. Thoroughbred races dropped slightly in March compared to the month's total in 2021, while remaining narrowly ahead through 2022's first three months compared to its pace from the first quarter of 2021, according to Equibase's report of economic indicators released Tuesday. Overall, $942,589,741 was wagered in March, a 2.37% decline from $965,453,678 in March of 2021. The number of race days conducted was nearly identical, with 291 being run this March compared to 292 last year, making the average wagering per race day $3,239,140, down 2.03% from...

The 2021-22 Aqueduct winter meet, which ran from Dec. 9, 2021 through Mar. 27, 2022, generated all-sources handle of $358,836,940, a 2.5% increase over the 2020-21 winter meet, NYRA announced Thursday. That figure was achieved despite running four fewer race days than 2020-21. Originally scheduled to be held over 56 days, NYRA was forced to cancel six race days during the 2021-22 winter meet due to adverse weather conditions. As a result, the winter meet was contested over 50 live race days. Average daily handle for the 2021-22 winter meet...

Jason Boulet, the Fair Grounds director of racing, was repeatedly pressed by Louisiana State Racing Commission (LSRC) member Tom Calvert Tuesday about whether or not his track would once again seek a statutory change to reduce its required number of race dates from 80 to 75 when the state legislature convenes its 2022 session Mar. 14. The exchange did not yield a definitive answer beyond Boulet's disclosure that the Fair Grounds and its corporate parent, the gaming firm Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI), would be in favor of participating in discussions...

The New York Racing Association's 2021 race meets conducted at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course generated all-sources handle of $2,373,772,916 and average daily handle of $11,809,816 over 201 race days, NYRA announced Thursday. Average daily handle on the NYRA circuit has increased 21.6% since 2019, when average daily handle over 217 race days was $9,714,868. Average daily handle in 2020, which featured 157 race days, was $11,553,727. All sources handle for 2021 was $265,646,547 higher than 2019, an increase of 12.6%; and $559,837,825 higher than 2020, a...

In spite of six races moved from the turf to the dirt, resulting in 10 program scratches, a total of $2.3 million was wagered on track and total pari-mutuel handle was $19.4 million, making it the third-best opening day figures ever. "We really want to thank the fans for supporting us and the horsemen for going with the changes and participating," said Santa Anita Senior Vice President and General Manager, Nate Newby. "Although it didn't rain yesterday, we had over 4 1/2 inches of rain in the five days leading...

Average daily all-sources handle for the recently concluded 15-day Aqueduct fall meet was $10,295,293, according to a release Thursday from the New York Racing Association. That figure represents an 11.2% increase over 2020, and average daily handle at the fall meet has risen 25.4% since 2019. The release noted that NYRA has also seen strong handle growth at Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course: "Average daily handle at the Belmont fall meet has grown 39% since 2019 with the 2021 summer meet at Saratoga eclipsing $20 million in average daily...

Woodbine's 2021 Thoroughbred season produced an all-sources handle of $505,348,339, the third-highest season total in Woodbine Thoroughbred history. For the second consecutive season, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a shortened season as the 2021 Woodbine Thoroughbred meet did not begin until June 12. Originally scheduled for 133 race dates, the 2021 season included 99 race days, three more than last year, and 946 races contested. Despite the delayed start, the 2021 season topped $500 million in all-sources handle, propelled mightily by Woodbine's highest single-season foreign wagering handle ever of $420,666,755. The...

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...

Edited Press Release Total all-sources common-pool handle for the two-day Breeders' Cup World Championships at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club was $182,908,409, a new record for the two-day event. The total represents a 4.7% increase over the prior record of $174,628,986 set when the event was held at Santa Anita Park in 2019 and a 14% increase from the total handle of $160,472,893 at the 2020 event held at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, KY. Total common-pool handle on Saturday's 12-race Breeders' Cup card was a record $121,562,392. All sources common-pool...