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Is Horse Racing Dead? Not in Upstate New York

December 8, 2022 by Leave a Comment

Wagering Up 16.5 Percent At Finger Lakes In 2022

Impressive performances at the mutuel windows and on the track highlighted the 61st season of Thoroughbred horse racing at Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack in Farmington, N.Y.

Despite one less day of racing, 89 in total, and 25 fewer races, all-sources total handle was $101,480,490, a spike of 16.5 percent. The average daily handle was $1,140,230 for the meet that concluded on Nov. 23.

On-track wagering also saw a double-digit increase of 12.8%, with wagering of $1,969,344. There were a total of 730 races run during the meet…

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Is Horse Racing Dead? Not in New Mexico

April 13, 2022 by Leave a Comment

Returning meet at Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino wraps up on positive note

The 55-day 2021-22 Sunland Park meet is in the books and after Sunday’s last race, it can be considered a success.

In March of 2020, the Sunland Derby and the final few weeks of the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 virus. The 2020-21 season never happened as the casino stayed closed until early March of 2021. With the closing of the casino, that in turn affected racing since casino money is used to help the money allotted for horse racing purses.

But the racetrack opened in December and the Sunland meet found success. The Sunland Derby returned on March 27 with Slow Down Andy winning and earning 50 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby. Nearly $3.5 million was wagered during the 12 races on Sunland Derby day and there were nearly 17,000 people in attendance.

Sunland Park Purse increase

The final month of the meet [horse racing in New Mexico] also saw a 25 percent purse increase and the amount of races per race day, which were Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, increased from 9 to 10, 11 and eventually 12 races per day.

“We were happy with the meet,” said Dustin Dix, who is the Director of Racing at Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino. “We had quality racing in terms of both thoroughbreds and quarter horses. Having the return of the Sunland Derby was big for us, it is certainly a highlight of the meet.”

The latest on the Kentucky Derby Preps from Agameofskill.com – Florida Derby and Blue Grass Stakes.

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Is Horse Racing Dead? Not Down Under in Australia

January 16, 2022 by Leave a Comment

Arrowfield Group’s John Messara says engagement with Australian horse racing has “grown” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think the fact that we’ve been able to get through COVID and survive during that COVID period,” Mr Messara said.

“The engagement has, I suppose, grown as people have been stuck at home and not able to do other things.

“Racing has continued, and people have been drawn to it … And the pie is growing.”

Check out the 6-minute video interview with Messara and learn about the strength of the Australian sales market where 94% of the horses entered sold.

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Is Horse Racing Dead? Not in New York

December 20, 2021 by Leave a Comment

The recently concluded 15-day fall meet at Aqueduct Racetrack generated $10,295,293 in average daily handle from all sources, the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced today. With this year’s 11.2 percent increase over 2020, average daily handle at the Aqueduct fall meet has risen 25.4 percent since 2019.

The continued growth in average daily handle aligns with the broader trend at NYRA, as reflected in sustained increases in that metric at Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course. Average daily handle at the Belmont fall meet has grown 39 percent since 2019 with the 2021 summer meet at Saratoga eclipsing $20 million in average daily handle for the first time in history. 

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Despite hosting three fewer race days than 2020, all sources handle for the Aqueduct fall meet totaled $154,429,388 compared with $166,702,976 in 2020. The 2019 fall meet, which was contested over 25 days, generated all sources handle of $205,249,710.

The opening of the fall meet marked the return of in-person attendance for the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. As a result, on-track handle was $15,268,541, a 35.1 percent increase over 2020 when only a limited number of owners were permitted to attend live racing. The 2019 fall meet, which was contested over 25 days, generated on-track handle of $20,712,645.

With the benefit of two turf courses available at Aqueduct, 74 races were run over the grass with just six races forced off the turf due to weather during the fall meet. In 2020, 68 races were run over the grass with 11 races forced off the turf due to weather. 

Average field size for the 145 total races run during the fall meet was 8.90, a 2.6 percent increase over 2020 and 5.9 percent higher than 2019. 

The 2021-22 Aqueduct winter meet, which began Dec. 9, continues through Sunday, March 27.

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Is Horse Racing Dead? Not in Upstate New York

September 7, 2021 by Leave a Comment

2021 Saratoga meet breaks betting record again

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Despite above average rainfall and ongoing fears about the spread of coronavirus, more than one million horse racing fans returned to the Saratoga Race Course this summer and set an all-time betting record.

New York Racing Association President and CEO Dave O’Rourke said the all-source handle, or the total amount of money bet, reached more than $800 million, the third year in a row that the handle record was broken during the 40-day meet.

“Thanks to the energy, enthusiasm and support of the best fans in horse racing, the 2021 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course has been a tremendous success,” O’Rourke said in a statement.

He also noted that this year’s meet “has been a summer reunion like never before,” after NYRA raced without fans in Saratoga in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“We’re especially pleased that the return of fans has translated into strong business for downtown Saratoga Springs and the entire Capital Region community,” he said. “The summer meet at Saratoga is as strong as any point in its storied history.”

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Is Horse Racing Dead? Not in England

March 22, 2021 by Leave a Comment

Cheltenham Festival attracts record viewership on first dayCheltenham Festival attracts record viewership on first day

The Cheltenham Festival 2021 attracted record viewership on only its first day, with both the average and peak audience up significantly on the previous year.

ITV Racing drew in an average of 1.1 million viewers, with a total of 1.5 million tuning in to watch the Champions Hurdle, won by Rachel Blackmore, riding the hugely anticipated Irish racehorse Honeysuckle.

The viewership spike has been largely attributed to the number of people working from home or on furlough due to the ongoing pandemic, in addition to the absence of spectators at the actual racecourse.

Nielsen Sports went as far as to predict that the festival would see its biggest television figures for over a decade, pointing to a general 250,000 increase in television viewership due to people working from home and furlough schemes…

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Is Horse Racing Dead? Not in Japan

February 19, 2021 by Leave a Comment

Japanese horse racing posts solid growth despite challengesJapanese horse racing posts solid growth despite challenges

Japanese horse racing recorded strong sales growth in 2020, in spite of economic uncertainties and the coronavirus pandemic. Both central and local horse racing are defying covid-19 challenges out of the race.

Horse racing as usual albeit without fans

The Japan Racing Association (JRA) reported its ninth consecutive year of sales growth with the annual turnover exceeding $28.6 billion, an increase by 103.5% from the previous year. Despite the challenging situation in times of COVID-19, Japanese central horse racing neither rescheduled or canceled a single event but maintained its full 2020 calendar.

The races were held without a spectator for over 7 months between February and October, however, the central horse racing has seen no major impact on overall sales. The cancellation of major racing events outside Japan also contributed to some of the star horses running in domestic races, which made certain races more appealing to fans.

Local horse racing also reported a jump in sales by 31% on a monthly basis, compared to that of the previous year. The stock price of the local Tokyo horse racing plummeted in March last year due to concerns over the negative impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the shares bounced back by October and traded above $56 for the first time since 1994.

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Is Horse Racing Dead? Not in Indiana

December 1, 2020 by Leave a Comment

“To get 96 racing days in during these unprecedented times is a real credit to the Indiana Horse Racing Commission (IHRC) staff, our horsemen and our very dedicated group of employees,” said Eric Halstrom, vice president and general manager of racing. “When you consider that we did all of that while breaking every handle record on the books makes the season a success by any measure.”

Indiana Grand Racing & Casino completed its 18th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing Thursday, Nov. 18. The abbreviated 96-day season offered 92 days of combined Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing along with four days dedicated directly to the sprinters to set a new record of $198,960,722

IndianaRecord numbers were posted throughout the season. The track recorded its highest single program handle on the Indiana Derby Wednesday, July 8 with a total of $5,979,952 wagered on the 12-race card. The Indiana Derby race alone garnered $1,026,395, which was a single race record for the track. The four-day race period also marked the best week ever in the 18-year history of racing for Indiana Grand with a total of $13,176,192 wagered.

Overall, the track saw an increase of 60.93 percent over 2019. A total of $198,960,722 was wagered from all sources in 2020 compared to $123,635,376 in 2019, which is 31 more percent handle with 26 less days in 2020.

Quarter Horse racing also saw a 17.33 percent increase in 2020. Total handle for Quarter Horse racing in 2020 was 20,143,348.30 compared to $17,168,338 in 2019 with two less all-Quarter Horse days held in 2020 compared to 2019. The track recorded its largest single card handle on an all-Quarter Horse day with $819,708.35 wagered on the Saturday, Aug. 8 program.

The final week of racing also established some records as a total of $3,869,898 was wagered on the final program of the year Thursday, Nov. 19, marking the largest handle on a non-Indiana Derby racing card in the history of the track. In all, a total of six days in 2020 showed handle in excess of $3 million. Only one card all season containing Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing did not eclipse $1 million in total handle, which was a shortened two-race day due to weather cancellation. The total of 91 days with handle in excess of $1 million is also a track record for Indiana Grand.

Racing dates for 2021 will be reviewed and expected to be approved by the IHRC at their monthly meeting in December. Indiana Grand hopes to return to its regular 120- racing season including six days dedicated to Quarter Horse racing.

Source: Indiana Grand

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Is Horse Racing Dead? Not in Washington

October 19, 2020 by Leave a Comment

Emerald Downs increases horse racing purses

Emerald Downs in Auburn has announced a 10% purse increase for all races the final three weeks of the 2020 live horse racing season.

The track runs races on Wednesday and Thursday, with the season ending Oct. 29.

Through 30 days of live racing, handle is averaging $1.87 million, up 67% over last year.

Emerald Downs President Phil Ziegler said the purse increase is a result of better than expected handle…

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Is Horse Racing Dead? Not Yet

October 12, 2020 by Leave a Comment

September Derby Brings Bettors, Handle Boost to Racing Economic Totals

Horseplayers wagered more than $3.2 billion in the third quarter. That represents a 12.73% bump from 2019’s figures of $2.92 billion.

At the same time, America’s most wagered race running the first Saturday in September instead of the first Saturday in May resulted in a 29.64% increase in September 2020 wagering. Bettors put down more than $1.039 billion in September, compared to $801.98 million in 2019. A September Derby was a big reason why.

That even came with a decline in Kentucky Derby day wagering, which Churchill Downs attributes to the lack of on-track wagering and a prohibitive favorite in Tiz the Law. The Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes champion lost a fierce stretch battle to Authentic…

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