Horseshoe Indianapolis handle up slightly after jumping in 2023

Total handle and average handle per race increased marginally during the recently completed Horseshoe Indianapolis meet this year when compared to last year’s meet, when handle increased by double digits, according to an analysis conducted by Daily Racing Form.

Total handle during the meet on 971 Thoroughbred races was a record $257.4 million, up approximately $2 million over the record handle of $255.4 million last year on 983 Thoroughbred races, according to the analysis. The average handle per Thoroughbred race increased 2 percent, from $259,908 to $265,078, also a record.

The results this year sustained the numbers the track was able to achieve last year, when total handle ballooned 23.6 percent and average handle jumped 21.3 percent. Track officials credited an increased focus on turf racing and the condition book for the significant gains last year, which stuck out amongst stagnant markers elsewhere in the U.S. racing industry.

The results for 2024 do not include totals from separate-pool wagering in foreign jurisdictions, according to the track, which said in a release that estimated separate-tool total is approximately $38 million for both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse races.

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Horseshoe Indianapolis, which is owned by the casino giant Caesars and located in Shelbyville, ran 116 race cards for Thoroughbreds during the meet, on a Monday through Thursday schedule for most of the weeks from the opener on April 8 through closing day on Nov. 14. The track scheduled many of its Thoroughbred stakes races on weekdays to attract attention in the simulcast market.

Horseshoe ran 10 less turf races this year than during the 2023 meet, according to the track, and several race days were canceled during the meet due to adverse weather.

Average field size for Thoroughbred races was 7.83 horses per race, according to the analysis, compared to 7.97 horses per Thoroughbred race last year.

The average purse per race was statistically even with last year but up slightly, to $32,627 per race. Last year, despite the significant gains in handle, the average purse declined slightly due to the expense debited to the purse account for the horsemen’s share of dues for the newly created Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority.

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