purse money

Saturday marked the final day of Keeneland's 2024 Fall Meet which saw a season-record all-sources wagering total of $210 million boosted by record purse money that attracted full fields featuring the nation's top trainers, jockeys and horses. Jockey Tyler Gaffalione earned the leading rider title, his eighth overall, with 24 total wins while trainer Brad Cox led all trainers with 14 wins including a record six stakes wins during the meet. Godolphin was the meet's leading owner with four wins. "The Fall Meet was exceptional," said Keeneland President and CEO...

Both houses of the New Jersey Legislature on Friday unanimously extended a five-year package that will grant $20 million in annual purse subsidies to the state's Thoroughbred and Standardbred industries. If signed by Governor Phil Murphy as expected, the bill will infuse $10 million into Monmouth Park's purses every year through 2029. The June 28 vote was 76-0 in the Assembly and 40-0 in the Senate. "We're extremely happy that the Legislature again decided to help support the racing and breeding industries in New Jersey," said Dennis Drazin, the chairman...

American Thoroughbreds raced for purse money in excess of $125 million during the month of May, an improvement of more than 17% over the corresponding figure from 2021, according to figures released Monday by Equibase. During the month, bettors put $1.41 billion through the windows, representing a fractional decrease from last year. Over the course of 399 race days in May--the precise number from 12 months ago--purse money averaged $313,461, up from the $267,712 in 2021. With five months in the books, gamblers have wagered over $473 billion, a healthy...

Total wagering on U.S. races topped $911 million and purse money exceeded $75 million in the month of February, according to statistics released Friday by Equibase. Compared to the $840.5 million wagered on U.S. races in 2021, the current figure represented a healthy gain of 8.39% while purse money rose by a whopping 22.09%. The number of U.S. race days and number of races run each increased by double digits, though average field size and the average wagering per race day declined modestly. Average purses per race day were $295,009,...

According to statistics released Feb. 4 by Equibase, wagering on North American racing during the first month of the new year totaled $942.6 million, a decrease of 1.82% from the corresponding figure from 2021, while owners raced for purse money of better than $82 million combined, a whopping 15.48% more than the $71.1 million from 12 months ago. Despite the wintry weather that annually claims its fair share of programs and a pause in racing in Maryland owing to track maintenance, the number of race days increased fractionally last month...

Purse levels for maiden special weight (MSW) races on the Kentucky circuit are projected to push past the $100,000 mark both during GI Kentucky Derby week at Churchill Downs and in September at the Kentucky Downs all-turf meet. In addition, Kentucky Downs plans to expand its stakes program to include two new $1 million races in 2021, giving the venue a total of three stakes at that level. (Read more details here). Ben Huffman, the director of racing at Churchill Downs, confirmed during a video meeting of the Kentucky Thoroughbred...

According to statistics released Monday by Equibase, daily average wagering and average purses per race day each saw significant increases in the period from Jan. 31-Mar. 31, 2021 when compared to the same time frame in 2020. Total wagering in the three-month period was reported at $2.776 billion, an increase of 10.27% over last year, with daily average wagering at $3,611,092, which represented a 14.15% improvement from 12 months ago. Nearly $215 million in purses were disbursed from January through March, some 4.6% better than last year, with several tracks...

Like an overzealous professor, the pandemic has taken a bright red marker to the status quo, with the racing industry very much on the receiving end of this economic revisionism. When it comes to California alone, startling betting patterns have emerged with potentially serious ramifications for the long-term sustainability of the sport in the state--that's according to handle and purse data from the first eight months of the past three years put together for the TDN by the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC). Among the key takeaways is this: While...

If racing is allowed to resume by July 16, the New York Racing Association plans to run this summer in Saratoga, with or without fans being allowed in the stands, NYRA Senior Vice President of Racing Martin Panza told the TDN. The likelihood that the meet will be held spectator-free raises the question as to whether or not it would be more practical to keep the New York racing community in place and race during the summer at Belmont and Aqueduct. While that might be easier, Panza said Saratoga routinely...