handle

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. October 2020 vs. October 2019 Indicator October 2020 October 2019 % Change Wagering on U.S. Races* $929,063,211 $776,071,164 +19.71% U.S. Purses $90,845,317 $91,981,753 -1.24% U.S. Race Days 340 334 +1.80% U.S. Races 2,852 2,754 +3.56% U.S. Starts 22,410 22,176 +1.06%...

The Belmont Park fall meet generated $9,923,813 in average daily handle from all sources, a 33.6% increase over the 2019 fall meet, the New York Racing Association announced. Despite running 10 fewer days than in 2019, all-sources handle of $267,942,961 was down just 2.5% compared with 2019. The Belmont Park fall meet has traditionally opened on the Friday following Labor Day. Due to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, NYRA adjusted the fall schedule by adding a one-week break following the conclusion of the summer meet at Saratoga Race...

Monmouth Park showed increases in both the daily transmission of its signal and in total average handle compared to 2019 during the combined 44-day meet that concluded Saturday. Monmouth Park's average daily simulcast handle increased 27.09% to $3,604,413 daily compared to $2,836,148 last year. The overall average handle was up 20.81% to $3,807,082 daily compared to $3,151,201 last year. "We are so grateful to everyone for supporting this extraordinary meet and, more specifically, the Governor's Office and the New Jersey Racing Commission for allowing us the ability not only to...

According to Equibase figures, total wagering on U.S. races in September was $1,039,737,336, a 29.64% increase over 2019 numbers. The handle for the GI Kentucky Derby day card at Churchill Downs fell dramatically this year. A total of $128.3 million was bet on the 14 races. In 2019, $250.9 million was wagered on the card. Nonetheless, the $128.3 million was the most bet on any racing program this year and was a major factor in the overall increase for September. With the increase in numbers during September, total handle for...

During these unprecedented times of global pandemic and spectator-free stands, the 81st Del Mar summer meet wrapped up Monday with a gripping battle to the wire between Flavien Prat and Umberto Rispoli for leading jockey honors. They were tied at 49 races apiece going into the GI Runhappy Del Mar Futurity, with Prat winning on Dr. Schivel (Violence) and Rispoli finishing fourth on Scooby (Fast Anna). It was the penultimate race of the meet and left Prat alone atop the rider standings with 50 wins and $2,968,918 in earnings. It...

A record $2.1 million in average daily handle from off-track sources was recorded at Lone Star Park for its recently concluded Thoroughbred meet. The amount marked a 131% increase from 2019. The previous comparative high of $2 million a day was in 2002, but the Texas track did average a daily all-source handle of just over $2.2 million in 2004 when hosting the Breeders' Cup. "With the success of this season behind us, we are eager to keep the momentum going into next year and feel the future is bright...

Instead of #FreeDataFriday, the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation is released a special report: "Racing Not Only For (the) Elite," which focuses on wagering and the horseplayer, The TIF stated that: "The report is the culmination of months of research, conversations across informed pockets of the industry and extreme frustration. The frustration is grounded in an assessment of the current state of racing when combined with the realization that the industry commissioned a detailed study that identified these current issues 16 years ago, when their impact was far smaller than it is...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - At the very bottom on the left-hand side of the daily recap sheet you can find the answer to why the New York Racing Association opted to run at Saratoga this fan-free summer instead of staying downstate and operating at Belmont Park: All Sources Handle. Though they were acutely aware that New York State's COVID-19 protocols prevented spectators from attending professional sporting events, NYRA officials projected that handle on Saratoga racing would be stronger than on 40 days at Belmont. The early returns are showing they...

Saturday's 12-race GI Belmont S. day card, featuring six graded stakes, generated all-sources handle of $67,753,336. All-sources handle on the Belmont itself, carded as Race 10, was $34,088,475. The 2019 all-sources handle was $102,163,280, a NYRA record for a non-Triple Crown year. To align with required health and safety measures implemented in New York to mitigate risk and combat the spread of COVID-19, the Belmont card was held without spectators in attendance.

   Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs in Oklahoma, one of the handful of North American racetracks that was able to continue racing throughout the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, concluded its meet May 20 with significant handle increases, as expected. More than $131 million was wagered in total (from 17 more races than in 2019) for a 687% increase over the $16.8 million bet the previous year. "Our racing shifted steadily toward center stage this spring. I am very proud that we were able to complete our season safely," said...

With the majority of U.S. tracks unable to race in April,  total pari-mutuel handle during the month fell by 24.42%. Bettors wagered $639 million during the month after wagering $845 million during April 2019. The numbers were provided by Equibase. It has been a roller coaster year for betting on U.S. racing. After posting an 11.8% increase over the months of January and February, handle fell by 22.8% in March when most tracks were forced to close. For most of April, there were only five Thoroughbred tracks racing, but several...

The following is an abridged version of the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation's #FreeDataFriday entry for this week. The full version can be read at this link. Here is a simple question: How much revenue does a horse race produce for the horsemen running horses in that race? The answer is incredibly complex, and in many jurisdictions, almost impossible to discern. A publication from the Thoroughbred Owners of California in 2016 offers a glimpse into an answer, at least for races run in that state. While these numbers are likely to have...