2021 Breeders' Cup: Despite Juvenile Turf debacle, Friday handle up markedly
Total handle for the five Breeders’ Cup races run on Friday was $42.31 million, according to charts of the races, up 12.7 percent over the five Breeders’ Cup races held at Keeneland Racecourse in Kentucky last year, despite a last-race incident that will potentially cost the game far more than the $5 million bump in wagering.
Handle on the four races preceding the last race, the Juvenile Turf, was running especially strong when compared to last year, up 24.4 percent. However, the last-race incident – in which millions of dollars were refunded on a scratched horse and on a horse that ran for purse-money only – caused wagering totals in several pools for the Juvenile Turf to sink precipitously.
Because of the refunds, the exacta pool for the Juvenile Turf plummeted 31.9 percent when compared to the fifth Breeders’ Cup race last year. The trifecta pool sunk 48.4 percent. The superfecta pool plunged 59.6 percent.
Because the scratches did not result in refunds in the horizontal pools, wagering in the pick 4, pick 5, and pick 6 pools remained robust, up 16.5 percent, 29.0 percent, and 94.0 percent, respectively.
All told, wagering on the Juvenile Turf was down 3.6 percent compared to the final race on Friday last year. The Juvenile Turf ended up having 12 betting interests, whereas last year’s final race, the Juvenile, had 14 betting interests.
West Coast tracks that host the Breeders’ Cup generally post higher handle numbers than tracks in the Eastern time zone, and because of coronavirus protocols last year, Breeders’ Cup limited ontrack attendance at Keeneland. But the time-zone factor generally results in a gain between 5 percent and 10 percent, so betting could have been considered impressively strong this year, had it not been for the last-race incident.
Handle on the first Breeders’ Cup race, with a 12-horse field, was up 37.4 percent compared to a 14-horse field last year, according to charts of the races. The second race, with a six-horse field, was down 2.8 percent, compared to a 14-horse field last year. Handle on the third race, with a 14-horse field, was up 61.0 percent compared to a seven-horse field last year. The fourth race, with an 11-horse field, was up 11.6 percent compared to a 14-horse field last year.
Although handle on the Juvenile Turf was down just a fraction, its real cost can be measured in the boos that rained down on the track as the winner crossed the finish line. As is said, you can’t put a price on goodwill.