Major Thoroughbred Economic Metrics Down in July

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 field size in July came in at just over seven runners per race, up 1.6% on 2022, while average daily wagering was virtually static at $2,524,087. Average available purses per race day rached $291,567, an improvement of 9.56% from last July.

For the first seven months of 2023, wagering on U.S. races declined 3.57% to $7.142 billion, while the available and paid purse money increased by 1.22% and 0.92%, respectively. Average daily wagering of $3.1 million is fractionally ahead of last year and average available purses per race day increased by 9.53% to $316,169.