Total wagering declines in April, handle per race up

Total betting on Thoroughbred races at U.S. racetracks in April was down 3.0 percent compared to the same month last year, according to figures released by Equibase on Thursday, but the average betting per race jumped because of a larger decline in the number of races held.

The April numbers were something of a mixed bag, considering that total wagering was down in the month compared to last year, despite one additional weekend date in April this year. Still, with a 5.92 percent drop in the number of races held during the month, average betting per race was $445,360, a 3.1 percent gain over average betting of $431,805 in April of last year.

Even with the additional weekend date, the total number of race days at U.S. tracks was down 4.8 percent, according to figures, from 295 in April of last year to 281 in April of this year.

Total purses also declined in April of this year compared to the same month, ending a long string of monthly gains. The decline, 2.9 percent, from $103.5 million last April to $100.5 million this year, was smaller than the drop in the number of races held, so average purse per race still increased.

Field size made a small gain in the month, jumping 2.4 percent from an average of 7.33 horses per race to 7.51 horses per race.

For the year, total wagering is down 3.3 percent, while races are up 0.7 percent. Total purses are up 5.3 percent.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.