Thoroughbred Economic Indicators

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...