Total handle rises to $43.89 million on Pegasus World Cup card
Total handle on the 13-race Pegasus World Cup card on Saturday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., was $43.89 million, according to charts of the races, a figure that ranks in the top tier of the U.S. racing calendar for betting on a single day of racing.
The 2023 handle number slightly exceeded the total handle figure on a 12-race Pegasus World Cup card last year at Gulfstream, though the comparison is incomplete. While the 2023 number was generated by Daily Racing Form off charts of the races, the 2022 record figure was released by Gulfstream’s parent company, 1/ST Racing, several days after the race. The 2022 figure included separate-pool totals from international jurisdictions.
The $43.9 million commingled figure for the Saturday lineup places the Pegasus card in the top echelon of single-day events on the racing calendar, behind only the Kentucky Derby card and the cards supporting the other two Triple Crown races, the Preakness and the Belmont; the two cards supporting the Breeders’ Cup event in the fall; and the Travers Stakes card at Saratoga Racecourse, which had record handle of $55.56 million last year.
Total handle on the Pegasus World Cup race, which had 12 horses this year, was $13.34 million, according to the chart of the race. The card was supported by seven other stakes races. Leaving out the Pegasus World Cup, average handle on the 12 other races was $2.55 million.
The 13-race card had 134 runners, or 10.3 runners per race.
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