handle

With a stellar eight Grade I races on the card including the 153rd Belmont S. presented by NYRA Bets, Belmont Park generated all-sources handle of $112,725,278 Saturday. The amount marks a New York Racing Association (NYRA) record for a non-Triple Crown year, in spite of limited attendance and restrictions on track due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 all-sources handle is a greater than 10% increase over the previous non-Triple Crown record of $102,163,280, set in 2019. On-track handle for the 13-race card was $7,532,571. All-sources handle on the Belmont...

The card for the 84th GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby produced all-sources pari-mutuel handle of $24,282,400 Saturday. This was the largest Santa Anita Derby day handle since 2007. In addition, fans returned to the Arcadia oval on a restricted basis, with 8,246 on-track for the 12-race program. It was the first time in over a year that fans were allowed back at Santa Anita since the COVID-19 pandemic began last winter. Rock Your World (Candy Ride {Arg}) saluted in the day's feature event, the GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby for...

There's plenty to talk about in racing these days, and NTRA CEO Alex Waldrop joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland Wednesday morning to dig into a good deal of the sport's most pressing topics. Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Waldrop talked about how to capitalize and sustain the positive handle trends of the past year, how to pay for the groundbreaking Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, what movement he expects on H-2B visas with a new administration and more. "Looking back...

With $959,602,269 wagered, total all-sources handle for the sport rose by 9.57% in January, according to figures released Thursday by Equibase. The January numbers reflected a fairly seamless comparison between January 2021 and January 2020 because the racing schedules for both months were not impacted by the coronavirus. There were 2,211 races run this year, only a slight drop from the 2020 number of 2,352. Based on the amount wagered per race day, the industry saw an increase of 21.6 %. Comparing figures during most of 2020 was particularly difficult...

Tampa Bay Downs horsemen and horsewomen will benefit from another increase in purse money beginning Wednesday. The approximate 10% boost will provide a $1,000 increase for all maiden special weight, allowance, claiming and starter races. Peter Berube, the track's Vice President-General Manager, said a double-digit gain in simulcast wagering has more than offset a decline in on-track wagering, making the second increase of the 2020-2021 meeting possible. The track had raised purses by approximately 10% Dec. 16. Tampa Bay Downs is averaging $4.1-million in daily handle on its product, a...

For the second time in the young 2020-21 meet, Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots has announced a 10% purse increase across the board. Much like the first, the boost was inspired by strong simulcast handle during the first seven weeks of the 149th racing season, which includes solid bettor response to the newly implemented traditional early and late Pick 5 wagers. "Despite losing multiple days of turf racing, handle has remained quite strong," Fair Grounds' racing secretary Scott Jones said. "Condition book four will be released the beginning of...

There are few positions more prominent or scrutinized in racing than president of The Jockey Club, and that goes double for years as tumultuous for the sport as 2019 and 2020 were. With a plethora of game-changing topics to discuss, The Jockey Club's president and chief operating officer Jim Gagliano joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland Wednesday in the show's first episode of 2021. Appearing as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Gagliano discussed how the industry can potentially pay for the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act,...

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...

by Thoroughbred Idea Foundation The creation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) is the most significant development in American racing at the federal level since the passage of the Interstate Horseracing Act in 1978. Questions now being rightly considered include how much HISA will cost and where will its funding originate from. Below, we offer some perspective on the costs. But as the greater industry determines where the funding will come from over time, racing should proactively adopt policies which seek to grow the wagering business. The industry...

It's time to turn the page from what was a horrendous year. Thank goodness. The year 2021 is upon us and, for horse racing, it figures to be an important and eventful 12 months. These are the stories we will be talking about and writing about in 2021: Will Handle Be On The Rise? Perhaps the most positive story to come out of 2020 has been the handle figures. With the pandemic causing a sizeable reduction when it comes to the amount of races that were run, betting figured to...

It's been an eventful year to say the least, and Wednesday morning, the crew of the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland wrapped up the biggest stories of 2020 and looked forward to the promise of a new year with an assist from trainer Brendan Walsh. Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week for the second time, Walsh talked about the highly-anticipated return of barn star Maxfield (Street Sense), what his hopes are for the implementation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act and trainees...

All-sources handle on the Breeders' Cup card on Friday at Keeneland was $50,285,986, a decrease of 11% compared to 2019 at Santa Anita ($56,517,228). In 2015, the last time the Breeders' Cup World Championships were at Keeneland, the all-sources handle was $44,949,165 before a crowd of 44,497. The Future Stars Friday card took place without the general public in attendance due to COVID-19 safety measures established by the Breeders' Cup and Keeneland. On-track handle for Friday was $1,123,620 with only participants and essential personnel present. On-track handle from Santa Anita's...