Bill Finley | Horse Racing Free Tips

Purses Set Record In 2022 But Handle Drops Slightly

According to figures released Thursday by Equibase, a robust $1,309,837,841 in purse money was paid out during the year in the U.S., an increase of 10.92% and an all-time record for the sport.

Total handle on U.S. racing in 2022 was $12,108,807,335, a decrease of 0.87% when compared to 2021 numbers. The total bet in 2021 was $12,215,598,838.

“Thoroughbred racing purses and pari-mutuel handle continued to exhibit strength in 2022,” NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney said in a statement. “Purses were up double-digits year-over year and reached an all-time high thanks in part to contributions from other gaming sources. Pari-mutuel handle was nearly equal to 2021 and the second highest since 2009. These business trends occurred during a year of unprecedented growth in legal, state regulated sports betting. The 2023 gaming landscape promises to be more competitive than ever for the sports wagering dollar. It also represents a huge opportunity to introduce pari-mutuel wagering and the sport of Thoroughbred racing to a vast new audience if we as an industry embrace the challenge.”

While wagering appears to be going through a period of relative stagnation, purses have never been better. The Jockey Club's Fact Book records purse data going back to 1988 when $676 million was paid out. Purses have nearly doubled since then and the 10.92% increase was the largest for the sport in a non-COVID year since the Jockey Club began collecting data.

Average purses paid out per day were $319,161, a 10.06% increase over 2021.

That purses are up in a year where handle fell is indicative of racing's increasing reliance on revenues from slot machines, Historical Horse Racing machines and other casino games. Kentucky, in particular, has seen huge increases in purses thanks to the popularity of the Historical Horse Racing Machines.

For reasons that remain unclear, betting fell significantly during the final quarter of the year and during December. Handle was off by 5.54% during the final quarter and by 7.52% in December.

Despite the drop, the news was not all bad. Handle broke the $12 billion mark for just the second time since 2009. After the betting numbers fell to $10.9 billion in 2020, when COVID-19 played havoc on racing schedules, handle was up 11.8% in 2021. Many have speculated that the increase was due to the sport attracting new customers while bettors were shut out from playing other sports during the pandemic.

The sport still has a long way to go before it can equal the type of handle figures that were being posted in the early 2000s. A record of $15.18 billion was wagered in 2003, the second year during a three-year stretch where handle eclipsed the $15 billion mark.

In the case of most other parameters, there was little movement between 2022 and 2021 figures. There were 33,453 races run during the year, a decline of just 0.33%. The total number of starts was 244,133, a drop of 1.31%. The average field size was 7.30, a slight drop from 2021 when the number was 7.37. The 7.30 number represented the smallest average field size since 1950 when the Jockey Club started keeping records.

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Dettori Joins TDN Writers’ Room Podcast

Riding full-time in the U.S. for the first time in his storied career, Frankie Dettori has brought his talents to Arcadia, California, where he has settled in as a regular in the Santa Anita jockey's colony. Dettori joined this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland to discuss his three wins on opening day, his expectations for the Santa Anita meet, his search for a contender for the GI Kentucky Derby and his plans to retire after this year's Breeders' Cup. Dettori was this week's Green Group Guest of the Week.

“I couldn't really have asked for more,” he said of his opening day heroics, which included a win aboard Saudi-bound Country Grammer (Tonalist) in the GII San Antonio S. “Had Country Grammer been my only winner it would have been a great day. To get three on the board, it was amazing.”

Among the reasons Dettori came to the U.S. was the hope that he could land a Derby mount. He doesn't have one yet, but the jockey and his agent, Ron Anderson, are working on finding a candidate. He has ridden in just one Derby, finishing sixth in 2000 with China Visit (Red Ransom), an experience he called “amazing.”

“Everything is open,” he said. “I did mention to Bob Baffert that if he's got a nice 3-year-old for me to put me on. He can just give me the thumbs up. Around the time of the Big 'Cap I will have a pretty good idea if I have a nice 3-year-old or not. If I do, I will extend my stay. Usually all the trials are beginning to develop in March and April, like the Santa Derby. So everything's open. At the moment I've got two good 3-year-olds in Europe, colts and fillies. But you know, if I get an American Pharoah, that's a different ball game. I'm not saying no to anything.”

There has been a lot of news out of the Dettori camp of late. First there was the announcement that he was coming to Santa Anita, which was followed by him revealing that this will be his last year. Why stop now?

“I still get the good rides and I still feel good,” he said. “But by the end of next year I'll be 53. I want to leave a legacy where I finish on the top. This game is very fickle. You can go from hero to zero in the space of a few days. At the moment, physically, I feel that I can give my owners and my horses and my trainers 200%. I feel that if I can have one more good year, it is time to move on. My heart wants to carry on. I mean Mike Smith is a classic example. He's 57 and he is still riding at his very best. I don't want racing to stop me. I want myself to stop.”

And what will he do after he stops riding?

“I'd like to get into the media,” Dettori said. “I'd like to be a commentator. I still want to be involved in racing, but I want to be young enough that I can jump in and start something else.”

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by Coolmore, Lane's End, the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, XBTV and https://www.threechimneys.com/ West Point Thoroughbreds, Zoe Cadman, Randy Moss and Bill Finley discussed their picks in various Eclipse Award races. In a 3-year-old male division where nothing is clear cut, Finley said he voted for GI Runhappy Malibu S. winner Taiba (Gun Runner), while Cadman and Moss voted for Epicenter (Not This Time). All three agreed that the Eclipse committee sends out the ballots too early and that no votes should be accepted before Jan. 1.

Another subject was the retirements of trainers Dale Capuano and Rick Schosberg. Two well respected successful horsemen left the sport at the end of the year and what does that say about a game where it seems that the super trainers prosper and everyone else struggles to make a go if it?

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Stories I Hope To Be Writing in 2023

Another year is in the books, and it featured the usual combination of good news and bad news. Flightline (Tapit) wowed us, even if it was for just three races. The impossible victory by Rich Strike (Keen Ice) in the GI Kentucky Derby was an unforgettable moment. Then again, the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act went off the rails and the acrimony surrounding it turned even uglier. With more guilty pleas and sentencings during the year, we still haven't been able to fully escape the nightmare that is Servis-Navarro.

So what will 2023 bring for horse racing? Honestly, I have no idea. But here are the stories I hope to be writing in 2023. Wishful thinking? Absolutely. But you never know.

The Champion 3-Year-Old Will Race at Four: A day after 3-year-old Glow Worm (Whatasire) won the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, his owner John Q. Horseowner announced that his three-time Grade I winner will race as a 4-year-old in 2024. The news stunned the breeding and racing industries, which have grown accustomed to owners choosing breeding over racing because that's where the real money is made.

“Money, I have,” Horseowner said. “Sure, I could make many millions if I retired Glow Worm now but what would I do with it? I already have a yacht, a private jet and 11 homes. I don't need any more. What I don't have in my everyday life is the kind of thrill I get every time Glow Worm runs. That's priceless. Who knows, maybe I'll run him at five, as well.”

Movement Toward Penny Breakage Catches On: Thanks to a bill submitted by upstate New York Assemblyman George Whatagoodguy, it appears that penny breakage will be coming to the New York racetracks before the year is over. The bill enjoys bipartisan support and has the backing of Governor Kathy Hochul.

“I play the horses and I have seen firsthand what a great deal this has been in Kentucky for horseplayers since they went to penny breakage,” said the Democratic lawmaker. “It has put millions back into the pockets of the people who are the backbone of this game, the bettors. Slot machines have put hundreds of millions into the pockets of racetrack owners, horse owners, trainers, you name it…everyone but the player. Isn't it about time they get a break?”

New York could be the first of several states to go to penny breakage. Pat Cummings of the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation reports that bills similar to the one introduced by Whatagoodguy are in the works in at least four other states.

Wayne Lukas Wins Jockey Club Gold Cup on 88th Birthday: What a better a way to celebrate his 88th birthday than with a win in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga. The rejuvenated Wayne Lukas pulled that off Saturday at Saratoga when winning the prestigious Gold Cup with Ageisjustanumber (Son of Into Mischief). It was Lukas's 43rd win on the year and his eighth graded stakes win. Approaching his ninetieth birthday, he is having his best year since 2005.

“I didn't forget how to train a horse,” Lukas said. “I just needed some owners to overlook my age and give me a chance with some good horses. I want to thank the 73 co-owners of Ageisjustanumber for believing in me and giving me a chance. It's on to the Breeders' Cup.”

Owner Takes Responsibility After Trainer Caught Doping: That trainer Jesse James was suspended for five years after a horse of his tested positive Friday for performance-enhancing drugs was hardly a surprise. Suspicions have surrounded James throughout a year in which he has won with 38% of his starters and with 71% of his starters coming off a claim.

But what no one expected was that his primary owner, Al Culpable, would come forward and admit he was part of the problem.

“I know what everyone expects me to say, that I thought Jesse was a good, honest, hard-working guy and that I had no idea he was cheating,” Culpable said. “If you believe that (expletive) you must also believe that I am stupid. I'm not. Did Jesse ever admit to me that he was doping my horses? No. But I knew exactly what was going on and he never could have done what he did if I didn't keep claiming horses and sending them to him.

“I have had some time to think about this and I am truly sorry. Despite what I did, I truly love this sport and I have damaged it. Shame on me. I am getting out of the game and will be donating $1,653,176 to Thoroughbred aftercare. That's the amount of money my horses earned with Jesse this year.”

New York Gaming Commission Exonerates NYRA Staffer: After NYRA clocker Henry Chroniker reported the wrong time for a workout that took place earlier this week on the Belmont training track, Chroniker worried that he was about to face a stiff fine and suspension from the New York Gaming Commission. The horse, Pie-O-My (Sopranos), worked four furlongs in :49.12.

Chroniker inadvertently transposed the numbers and reported the work as :49.21, a difference of .09 seconds. A similar offense from a clocker last year resulted in a hefty fine and a long suspension and the Gaming Commission has a history of punishing NYRA employees for what many considered to be very minor offenses. But that won't happen to Chroniker.

“We looked at this and realized it was a case of 'no harm, no foul,'” said the Gaming Commission's steward. “We realize that sometimes you have to use common sense and be reasonable when it comes to cases like this. Chroniker had worked here a long time and his record has been spotless. He deserved the benefit of the doubt. Accidents happen.”

Inspired by Beverly Park, Top Stable Vows to Race More Often: When Beverly Park (Munnings) reached the halfway point in the year with 19 starts trainer Phil Eclipseworthy took notice.

“I thought if this horse could race 30 times in a year and remain sound and productive every step of the way, why couldn't I run my horses more often?” Eclipseworthy said. “After all, wouldn't my owners make more money if their horses raced more often?”

With that in mind, Eclipseworthy has announced plans for his top colt Theydontmakeemliketheyuseto (Another Son of Into Mischief). He plans to run him in the GI Whitney, the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup and the GI Breeders' Cup Classic.

“That will be three races in four months and that's a brutal schedule,” Eclipseworthy said. “Normally, I think three starts a year, and not three in four months, is about all a horse can handle. But I like what that fella Lynn Cash has been doing with Beverly Park. He was a $5,000 claimer and now, with the way he's been handled, has made boatloads of money. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Theydontmakeemliketheyuseto can hold up to the taxing schedule I have laid out for him.”

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The TDN’s Top 10 Stories of 2022

Another eventful year for horse racing is about to come to an end, which makes this a good time to look back at the TDN stories that were the most widely read during the year. From the heroics of Flightline (Tapit) to the on-going saga of the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) to the latest developments in the Jorge Navarro-Jason Servis scandal, there was no shortage of important stories. Unfortunately, there were a number of major stories that reflected poorly on the sport, but, our statistics show, those are stories the readers want to read.

Here are the most widely read stories of 2022:

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Finds HISA Unconstitutional

by TDN Staff. 162,916 views.

It was mid-November and HISA was just a month and half away from taking over the functions of drug testing and enforcing medication rules for the entire sport. The wind was at its back, at least until a bombshell ruling in a federal court. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) is unconstitutional because it “delegates unsupervised government power to a private entity,” and thus “violates the private non-delegation doctrine.” It was a major blow for HISA and, in time, may prove to be the beginning of the end when it comes to efforts to unify the sport under one umbrella group responsible for regulating many vital aspects of the game.

Chris Oakes Sentenced to Three Years

by Bill Finley, 138,313 views.

As has been the case since the indictments in the doping scandal were announced in March of 2020, TDN readers could not get enough of coverage of this story. In March of 2022, standardbred trainer Chris Oakes was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of misbranding and drug adulteration with intent to defraud or deceive. Oakes was not only doping his own horses, but worked closely with Navarro and provided him with performance-enhancing drugs. Though the subject was a harness trainer, the story of Oakes's sentencing was easily the second most read TDN story of 2022.

Owner Hits Jackpot With First Horse

by Bill Finley, 41,777 views

Not everything the TDN reported on in 2022 was about scandals or a matter of gloom and doom. The third story on the list was a feel-good story about 83-year-old owner Pat Kearney. Kearney got involved in the sport late in life and the very first horse he purchased turned out to be Kathleen O. (Upstart), who won the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks and the GII Davona Dale S. “It has been an amazing, exciting, energizing experience,” said Kearney, who races under the name of Winngate Stables.

Chad Brown Arrested in Saratoga on 'Obstruction of Breathing' Charge

by Bill Finley, Mike Kane and Sydney Kass, 29,360 views.

Perhaps the most shocking story of the year occurred in August when future Hall-of-Fame trainer Chad Brown was arrested and charged with criminal obstruction of breathing. It was alleged that Brown choked and then pushed a former girlfriend down some stairs who had entered his house uninvited. Brown later pled guilty to the lesser charge of harassment, which allowed him to avoid any jail time.

Flightline Retired to Lane's End

by TDN staff, 26,262 views

After Flightline won the GI Breeders' Cup Classic there was a flicker of hope that he would race in 2023 as a 5-year-old. But, in the end, the realities of the economics of the sport made it so that he was far more valuable as a sire than as a racehorse and his connections announced his retirement less than 24 hours after he won the Classic.

Green Light Go Euthanized After Belmont Workout

by TDN staff, 23,849 views

No one wants to see a horse have to be euthanized, particularly one who enjoyed success on the racetrack. Green Light Go (Hard Spun), who won the 2019 GII Saratoga Special S., had to be put down after breaking a sesamoid bone in his right foreleg during a workout at Belmont in April.

Parx Investigation Finds Contraband Suspensions Expected

by Bill Finley, 20,635 views

It was the weekend of the GI Pennsylvania Derby at Parx, but not all the news was made on the racetrack. Investigators set up shop at the Parx backstretch gate, checking cars and individuals for illegal contraband. They uncovered a number of syringes and caught a jockey possessing a battery. Two trainers and the jockey were suspended.

2022 Kentucky Race Dates Set

by T.D. Thornton, 19,444 views

With the rise in purses in Kentucky, it's no wonder that this story, which reported on the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission awarding of dates for 2022, was the eighth most-read story of the year in 2022.

Trainer Doug O'Neill Suspended 60 Days

by TDN staff, 18,946 views

In November, O'Neill was suspended 60 days, fined $10,000, and put on probation for one year stemming from a medication positive by his starter Worse Read Sanchez (Square Eddie) at Golden Gate Fields May 1.

After McCarthy Spill, Migliore Points to the NY Stewards

by Bill Finley, 18,779 views

There are a lot of people, retired jockey Richard Migliore among them, who believe the New York stewards are too lenient when it comes to penalizing jockeys for rough and careless riding. After Trevor McCarthy went down in a spill in November, fracturing his collar bone and pelvis, Migliore called out the stewards. “It's irresponsible on the part of the rider but they are not being held accountable,” Migliore said. “When that happens, it's human nature. The more you can get away with, the rougher it's going to get. The stewards need to really crack down and lay down the law. No more nonsense.”

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