Handle down more than 25 percent at Fair Grounds

The near absence of turf racing at this Fair Grounds meeting has caused a severe decline in betting on the track’s product compared to a similar period during the 2021-22 meet.

Through 29 days of racing, total handle has dropped close to 26 percent, from $83,730,100 during the first 29 days last season to $62,285,295 through Jan. 8 this year. Fair Grounds began this meet Nov. 18, a week earlier than last season. The track through Jan. 8 had run 251 races compared to 270 during the same period in 2021-22, with handle per race falling 20 percent, from $310,111 to $248,148.

The damaged Fair Grounds turf course has been the prime mover in these numbers; the track conducted 92 grass races during the first 29 days last season but through Jan. 8 this meet had run only four. The turf races during the period in question last season averaged 8.33 starters per race. Overall, the average number of starters per race has dropped from 7.64 to 7.08 year over year. But even dirt starters are down this meet, from 7.44 to 7.16.

Churchill Downs Inc., Fair Grounds’ parent company, announced in November that no turf racing would be held early in the meet because course conditions were unsuitable. A track official subsequently attributed severe damage to the inside part of the grass course to a well that had become contaminated with saltwater while being used to irrigate the course during drought conditions, an explanation many horsemen treat skeptically. The handful of turf races run so far this season have come with the temporary rail at 34 feet, restricting field size to 8.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.