Thoroughbred Economic Indicators

Through the first four months of the year, wagering on U.S. races fell 6.10% compared to the same time period in 2023, in figures released Monday by Equibase. A total of $3,516,968,001 was wagered through April this year, compared to $3,745,511,588 a year ago. Available U.S. purses dipped 1.17% from $366,620,431 in 2023 to $362,312,915 this year, with 80 fewer race days and 673 fewer races. During the month of April, $926,855,960 was wagered on U.S. races, down 11.42% from last year's figure of $1,046,334,587. Available U.S. purses totaled $94,938,583,...

Betting on U.S. horse racing had its worst month so far this year in August as handle fell by $87,216,418 when compared to August 2022 figures. The decline was 7.3%, the sharpest drop in a month since December 2022. A total of $1,107,146,014 was bet on the sport during this August, while the 2022 handle figure was $1,194,362,432. In month-over-month figures, it was the sharpest drop since December when handle fell by 7.52%. While the Saratoga meet spills over in to July and September, the majority of it is run...

Wagering on U.S. races, available and paid purses and the total number of races days each saw declines to varying degrees during the month of July, according to information released by Equibase Sunday. Total wagering of $1.067 billion on races during the month represented a 6.68% decrease on the corresponding figure from 2022, while available purses of $123.3 million was off by just over 1% year over year. Paid purses of $117.6 million was down 2.48%, while the total number of race days dropped from 453 to 423 (6.62%). Average...

Recent trends continued in the month of June, as wagering on U.S. Thoroughbred racing decreased slightly year over year while purses continued to rise, according to the Thoroughbred Racing Economic Indicators released Tuesday by Equibase. Q2 of 2022 also reflected the same trends compared to last year's second quarter.    

As the Triple Crown trail came to an end, with many tracks hosting important Kentucky Derby preps, and with Keeneland staging its Spring meet in its regular spot on the calendar, wagering on U.S. races exceeded $1.1 billion, according to statistics released Wednesday by Equibase. Year-over-year comparisons are largely irrelevant, as the effects of the coronavirus really made their presence felt in April 2020. Keeneland was left no choice but to postpone its meet to July, racing at Santa Anita was dark into late May and in New York, it...

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%...

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...

The Thoroughbred Racing Economic indicators for the month of May released by Equibase Thursday reflected the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, which halted racing in March. Including worldwide commingled wagering on U.S. races, wagering was down 30.16% ($908,504,654) from May of 2019 (1,300,923,869). Other figures that showed marked decreases in 2020: • U.S. Purses - $31,971.002 (-72.39%) • U.S. Race days - 123 (-450) • U.S. Races - 1,059 (-70.99%) • U.S. Starts - 9,145 (-64.77%) Figures which showed increases over the corresponding period in 2019 included: Average Field Size,...

With only a handful of tracks still racing due to the coronavirus, wagering on the sport took a huge hit in the month of March, falling by 22.58% over 2019 figures. A total of $731 million was bet during the month, a $214 million drop from 2019 figures. The numbers were released Friday by Equibase. "Obviously, it was a tough month," said NTRA President and CEO Alex Waldrop. "As damning as these number appear, the No. 1 priority right now is the health and safety of our employees. We're like...