Equibase, LLC released its fourth monthly report of 2021 on Economic Indicators in Thoroughbred Racing on Wednesday, May 5. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Equibase has been providing monthly economic indicators advisories. The Advisory is typically disseminated on a quarterly basis to provide key metrics used to measure racing's performance throughout the year.
The April 30 Kentucky Oaks card provided a big boost to total wagering in the month of April, especially when compared to the same period in 2020, when the pandemic first took hold and tracks across the country were shutting down. Compared to 2019, however, when the Oaks was held in May, total wagering showed an increase of over 30 percent, while average daily wagering was up over 45 percent.
The more representative year-to-date numbers, from the first four months of 2019 to the first four months of 2021, still show total wagering up 14.44 percent while average daily wagering is up over 25 percent. With the return of the Kentucky Derby to the first Saturday in May, rather than Sept. 5, next month's wagering numbers should also show significant increases over the same dates in 2020.
| April 2021 vs. April 2020 | |||
| Indicator | April 2021 | April 2020 | % Change |
| Wagering on U.S. Races* | $1,103,109,455 | $639,331,643 | +72.54% |
| U.S. Purses | $89,560,290 | $17,500,400 | +411.76% |
| U.S. Race Days | 279 | 85 | +228.24% |
| U.S. Races | 2,425 | 746 | +225.07% |
| U.S. Starts | 18,039 | 6,810 | +164.89% |
| Average Field Size | 7.44 | 9.13 | -18.51% |
| Average Wagering Per Race Day | $3,953,797 | $7,521,549 | -47.43% |
| Average Purses Per Race Day | $321,005 | $205,887 | +55.91% |
| YTD 2021 vs. YTD 2020 | |||
| Indicator | YTD 2021 | YTD 2020 | % Change |
| Wagering on U.S. Races* | $3,869,205,732 | $3,147,861,049 | +22.92% |
| U.S. Purses | $304,560,597 | $222,728,051 | +36.74% |
| U.S. Race Days | 1,045 | 878 | +19.02% |
| U.S. Races | 9,127 | 7,362 | +23.97% |
| U.S. Starts | 70,250 | 58,783 | +19.51% |
| Average Field Size | 7.70 | 7.98 | -3.60% |
| Average Wagering Per Race Day | $3,702,589 | $3,585,263 | +3.27% |
| Average Purses Per Race Day | $291,446 | $253,677 | +14.89% |
2019 Comparisons:
| April 2021 vs. April 2019 | |||
| Indicator | April 2021 | April 2019 | % Change |
| Wagering on U.S. Races | $1,103,109,455 | $845,958,246 | +30.40% |
| U.S. Purses | $89,560,290 | $85,910,830 | +4.25% |
| U.S. Race Days | 279 | 311 | -10.29% |
| U.S. Races | 2,425 | 2,612 | -7.16% |
| U.S. Starts | 18,039 | 19,728 | -8.56% |
| Average Field Size | 7.44 | 7.55 | -1.51% |
| Average Wagering Per Race Day | $3,953,797 | $2,720,123 | +45.35% |
| Average Purses Per Race Day | $321,005 | $276,241 | +16.20% |
| YTD 2021 vs. YTD 2019 | |||
| Indicator | YTD 2021 | YTD 2019 | % Change |
| Wagering on U.S. Races* | $3,869,205,732 | $3,380,927,018 | +14.44% |
| U.S. Purses | $304,560,597 | $313,030,470 | -2.71% |
| U.S. Race Days | 1,045 | 1,155 | -9.52% |
| U.S. Races | 9,127 | 9,902 | -7.83% |
| U.S. Starts | 70,250 | 76,558 | -8.24% |
| Average Field Size | 7.70 | 7.73 | -0.45% |
| Average Wagering Per Race Day | $3,702,589 | $2,927,210 | +26.49% |
| Average Purses Per Race Day | $291,446 | $271,022 | +7.54% |
* Includes worldwide commingled wagering on U.S. races.
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