Equibase, North American racing's official database, has released its January statistics for the industry's economic indicators, including field size, wagering, and other data.
January's metrics show a 7.19 percent decline in total wagering; with an increase in both races (4.3 percent) and race days (2.32 percent), average daily wagering was also down by 9.29 percent.
Purses continue to trend upward: there was a 9.70 percent increase in purses awarded over the first 31 days of 2023. That continues the trend from the end of 2022, which saw purses up 10 percent on the year for a record high total of $1,309,837,841.
Field size remains fairly steady thus far in 2023. January's figures saw the average field size at 7.73 starters, down just .33 percent from the same period in 2022.
Equibase is continuing to provide monthly reporting of its Economic Indicators Advisories as a service to the industry and in consideration of the economic changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Advisory is typically disseminated on a quarterly basis to provide key metrics used to measure racing's performance throughout the year.
| January 2023 vs. January 2022 | |||
| Indicator | January 2023 | January 2022 | % Change |
| Wagering on U.S. Races* | $874,180,855 | $941,934,680 | -7.19% |
| U.S. Purses | $90,069,945 | $82,102,162 | +9.70% |
| U.S. Race Days | 265 | 259 | +2.32% |
| U.S. Races | 2,280 | 2,186 | +4.30% |
| U.S. Starts | 17,619 | 16,949 | +3.95% |
| Average Field Size | 7.73 | 7.75 | -0.33% |
| Average Wagering Per Race Day | $3,298,796 | $3,636,813 | -9.29% |
| Average Purses Per Race Day | $339,887 | $316,997 | +7.22% |
* Includes worldwide commingled wagering on U.S. races.
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