August Economic Indicators: More Wagering, Fewer Race Days

[Wandering Eyes]

Wagering increased compared to a year ago in August despite a reduction in the number of race days during the month, according to information released by Equibase on Friday.

Total wagering of $1,204,428,838 on races during the month represented a 3.13% increase over the same period from 2024, while available purses of over $153 million were higher by 7.24%. The figure of over $145 million for paid purses in August was also up by 6.33%. As for the total number of race days, they decreased from 416 to 400 (-3.85%) and the number of U.S. races was lower from 3,232 in August 2024 to last month's tally of 3,181 (-1.58%).

Average field size in August was down a touch from over a year ago when it was 7.21, and checked in at an average of 7.19 runners, a decrease of 0.28%. However, average daily wagering increased by 7.25% to $3,011,072, and the average available purse number per race day was up 11.53% to $382,641 from the figure of $343,072 in 2024.

When it comes to the year-to-date figures, through August of 2024 wagering on U.S. races came in at $8.082-billion, while this year the amount is $7.942-billion (-1.73%). Those numbers include worldwide commingled wagering on U.S. races.

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