May wagering up 3 percent from 2024
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Bolstered by strong wagering figures on the Triple Crown races, total wagering on Thoroughbred contests held at U.S. tracks in May increased 3 percent despite a slight decline in the amount of races during the month, according to figures released by Equibase on Thursday.
Total wagering jumped nearly $42 million on the month to $1.45 billion, while the number of races held dropped by 25 to 2,933, down 0.9 percent. Per-race, average wagering was $492,879, up 3.8 percent over the May 2024 figure of $474,626.
May figures are heavily dependent on betting numbers for the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and their supporting cards. This year, wagering on the Derby and its supporting card were records, while betting on the Preakness fell just short of the record while up 11.3 percent, with full-card wagering up 11.1 percent.
May of this year had nine weekend dates, while May of last year had eight. Weekend handle is generally far higher than weekday handle.
Field size was statistically even with last May at 7.09 horses per race. Field size had been steadily creeping up over the past six months after a long slide, but May is the start of the summer racing season, leading to more competition among tracks for runners.
Distributed purses declined at a greater rate than the decline in races, leading to a slight overall drop in the average purse per race. Average purse in May of 2025 was $40,281, compared to $40,530 in May 2024.
According to the Equibase figures, total handle for the year is down 1.85 percent, while the total number of races is down 3.46 percent.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.