November betting handle down from last year, but there's a catch

Handle on Thoroughbred races held at U.S. tracks during the month of November dropped nearly 8 percent compared to the same month last year, according to figures released by Equibase on Friday. The decline was heavily impacted by a quirk of the calendar and a sharp drop in races held.

This year, the two-day Breeders’ Cup event was held on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, while last year, the event took place entirely in November. This year, total commingled handle on the Friday, Oct. 31, Breeders’ Cup card at Del Mar was $62 million, $9 million shy of the total drop in handle this year.

In total, handle in November of this year was $848.1 million, compared to $921.1 million in November 2024, according to the figures, a 7.9 percent drop. In October, handle was up 9.1 percent due to the inclusion of the Friday Breeders’ Cup card.

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In addition, the total number of races held at U.S. tracks in November dropped 8.3 percent compared to the same month last year, a higher rate than the drop in handle. As a result, average handle per race edged up slightly compared to November last year, going from $397,721 to $399,490.

Field size was up slightly in November compared to the same month last year, from 7.77 in November of 2024 to 7.81 this year.

With 193 fewer races held and the Friday Breeders’ Cup card left out, total purses distributed at U.S. racetracks in November was $111.9 million, down 7.49 percent, or approximately $9 million, from November of last year. Per race, the average purse was $52,720, up slightly from the 2024 average of $52,246.

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