Handle dips 7 percent in June, 3 percent in second quarter
All-sources handle nationwide fell 7 percent in June to $991 million, contributing to a decline of 3 percent in handle in the second quarter, according to data released Thursday by Equibase.
For the second quarter, handle reached $3.14 billion, down from $3.24 billion in 2018.
Several factors contributed to the decline, notably fewer racing days at Santa Anita, which canceled nine Thursday programs from mid-April to late June because of concern over a shortage of available horses.
This year, there was no 3-year-old vying for the Triple Crown in the Belmont Stakes on June 8, which contributed to a decline in handle on that day of 25.7 percent to $102.2 million, on what is annually one of the best racing programs of the year. Last year, Justify captured national attention with his sweep of the Triple Crown, which drew substantial wagering to the Belmont Stakes program.
In June, Gulfstream Park in Florida did not have a day with a mandatory payout in the 20-cent Rainbow pick six, which often draws nationwide attention and massive pools. The bet was hit in the days before the mandatory payout.
In the second quarter, there were the same number of race days as in 2018 – 499 – but there were 53 fewer races, 3,905. Those horses ran for greater prize money. Purses in June reached $115.2 million, a gain of 4.67 percent. Through the second quarter, purses rose 9.1 percent compared with 2018 to $316.9 million.
Churchill Downs had substantially higher purses at its spring-summer meeting, boosted by revenue from historical-racing gaming machines. At Santa Anita, purses were raised $10,000 for each overnight race for much of the second quarter by the Thoroughbred Owners of California and track management in an effort to attract additional runners.
Field sizes suffered slight declines in June and in the second quarter. In June, fields averaged 7.1 runners per race, a decline of 3.1 percent. For the second quarter, fields averaged 7.22 runners, a decline of 2.7 percent from 2018.
