Handle on U.S. races down slightly in June

There was less money wagered on U.S. races in June and fewer races run than in June 2014, but the average handle per race increased, according to figures released by Equibase on Saturday.

The results snapped a two-month run of gains over last year and continued the trend of fewer races run than in 2014. However, this past June included eight weekend dates compared with nine in 2014. Handle on weekend dates is usually much higher than weekday races.

Handle in June was $925,512,755, down 0.23 percent from $927,683,726 in June 2014. The average handle per race was $237,738 this June, compared with $219,570 in June 2014, an increase of 8 percent.

Purses distributed in June were down 7 percent, from $104,516,868 to $96,884,024, largely due to the decline in races, as the average purse per race went up. The number of races this June fell 8 percent compared with June 2014, from 4,225 to 3,893.

Also of note, June’s racing included the successful Triple Crown bid of American Pharoah in the Belmont Stakes, which drew national attention.

For the year, handle is down 0.51 percent, from $5.51 billion in 2014 to $5.48 billion. The number of races is down 6 percent, from 19,969 to 18,805.