Total handle on Kentucky Oaks card sets record at $74.9 million

Total betting on the 13-race Kentucky Oaks card at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., on Friday set a record of $74.9 million, according to Churchill Downs, a slight gain over the record of $74.6 million set last year. Wagering on the Oaks itself, however, was down 7.8 percent.

The full-card record this year was set on a day of ideal weather conditions throughout the Midwest and East Coast, a circumstance that usually generates strong local interest but can often depress out-of-state interest in a race card that has far more importance to the Louisville market and hard-core racing fans. Attendance at Churchill on Friday was 106,381, a 6.1 percent increase over attendance last year.

The Oaks this year had a 14-horse field, identical to the full field last year. The favorite this year, Wet Paint, went off at 9-5, compared to a favorite last year, Nest, who went off at 2.40-1.

The Oaks Day record this year followed a significant leap over the previous records. Last year’s full-card record exceeded the previous record, set in 2019, by 25 percent. Wagering totals on the Oaks cards from 2020-21 were heavily impacted by the pandemic, which limited attendance at Churchill.

The weather forecast in Louisville for the Kentucky Derby card on Saturday calls for partly sunny skies and a high of 77 degrees. Most of the Eastern seaboard is forecast to have good weather conditions as well.