purse levels

Purse levels for maiden special weight (MSW) races at the seven-day Kentucky Downs meet in August and September are once again projected to be $170,000, the same level as last season. Although that number isn't going up in 2025, it's still by far the biggest money outlay for maidens at any North American racetrack, because Kentucky Downs boasts the highest overall purse structure on the continent. At Tuesday's meeting of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF) advisory committee, some board members-as they have in past years-cautioned against the risks of...

Wagering on U.S. races dipped 2.85% in February, with 11 fewer racing dates, in year-to-year comparisons released Tuesday by Equibase, while through two months of 2024, wagering is down 6.83% with 59 fewer race days than the same period in 2023. Wagering in February totaled $838,195,585, compared to $862,782,585 in February, 2023. Through two months, a total of $1,618,055,698 was wagered in U.S. races. That figure was $1,736,625,054 after two months of 2023. While available purse money increased 6.44% to $86,413,218 in February, that figure year-to-date is down 4.03% to...

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...