While racing saw a quarter of its race days eliminated in 2020 because of precautions and restrictions put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19, bettors supported the available product while owners saw a decline in purses that mirrored the loss of race days.
Tag: Horse racing news
Florida Hunter Trainer Advocates For Return Of Thoroughbreds To The Show Ring
Based in Reddick, FL, hunter/jumper trainer Caitlin Maloney is working hard to bring back recognition of Thoroughbreds in the hunter show ring. She has re-trained and shown multiple off-track Thoroughbreds to national accolades.
When asked why she enjoys the breed, she says she appreciates that they are innately wired to please. Once a Thoroughbred understands what is being asked of them, she says, most want to work with their riders. The key to successfully retraining them is patience, she says.
Once Caitlin determines an OTTB is safe to ride, she will placea pole in the ring and ask the horse to walk over it to determine if he is bold or overwhelmed, which will factor into how he is trained. Once the horse is ready to begin jumping, she doesn't train a Thoroughbred any differently than she does any other breed.
Caitlin reminds riders that a Thoroughbred was first trained for speed and that a forward, galloping Thoroughbred hunter can be lovely to watch if trained to relax and jump correctly.
Caitlin says she has seen more Thoroughbreds in the show ring, and more groups and individuals advocating for their return. She expects the Thoroughbred classes at horse shows to get more competitive.
Read more at The Plaid Horse.
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Handle on U.S. Racing Off Less Than One Percent in 2020
Despite a racing calendar ravaged by the coronavirus, all-sources handle on U.S. racing in 2020 declined by just .98%. According to Equibase, total handle on the year was $10,925,226,444 or $108,597,919 less than what it was in 2019.
Had the Triple Crown races not been rescheduled, it’s possible that handle might have risen on the year. The total handle for the three race days combined dropped by $208 million, or more than what handle was off for the entire year.
“The horse racing community is extremely resilient as borne out by the fact that despite the widespread and negative impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, pari-mutuel wagering on U.S. races held steady in 2020 at nearly $11 billion,” NTRA President and CEO Alex Waldrop said in a statement. “We thank both our customers and all of our essential participants on the backside and beyond for keeping the sport going and supporting the industry during what continues to be an unprecedented and challenging period, not only in the United States but around the world.”
The 2020 numbers were largely in line with the amount bet every year since 2011, when $10.77 billion was wagered. Since they have been relatively stagnant. However, the handle figure for 2020 represents a sharp decline from racing’s peak year in 2003 when a record $15.18 billion was bet.
The numbers were achieved during a year in which there was a 23.5% decline in the number of races that were run and a 25.38% drop in the number of racing programs that were offered. That was offset by a significant increase in the average amount wagered per race, which was $394,412, for a 29.4% increase over 2019. That could mean that there was little to no growth in the industry went it comes to wagering and that players simply bet the same amount of money that they did in 2019, but spread it around among fewer races.
When the major sports all shut down due to the coronavirus, horse racing had a window where it was the only legal form of sports wagering available and, thanks to its television presence, one of the few sporting events available for viewing. Whether or not racing picked up new customers during that period is open for debate.
“It will remain to be seen what the 2020 numbers mean,” said Marshall Gramm, an economics professor who is also an owner and horseplayer. “I don’t know if it’s reason to be positive or negative. I’m somewhat disappointed to see that we weren’t up on the year. But it’s hard to come out definitively to say this was a bad year or this was great year because there were so many factors involved. In many ways, there is some optimism to take away from this because handle wasn’t down as much as you might have thought with the lost days and lost events.”
Ironically, handle surged in the second half of the year, a time in which the major sports opened back up for business. After handle fell by 10.88% in the first half of the year, it increased by 9.49% in the second half. December proved to be a particularly good month, with $751.7 million wagered, an increase of 6.24%
Perhaps the most alarming number to come out Tuesday when Equibase released the year-end figures was the amount paid out in purses. Purses in 2020 totaled $869.7 million, a 25.53% drop from 2019 and the lowest amount paid out since 1997. The average purse for a race in 2020 was $31,399, a 2.7% decrease from the previous year.
The average field size for the year was 7.94, a 5.51% increase from 2019.
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Goffs Announces Changes to January/February Sales
Following the latest COVID-19 lockdowns in Ireland and the UK, several changes to the winter sales at Kildare Paddocks and Doncaster were confirmed by Goffs on Tuesday. The Goffs February Sale was divided into a virtual sale for breeding stock, older horses, and juveniles on Feb. 9-10 and a physical sale for weanlings on Mar. 2 at Kildare Paddocks. The Goffs UK Doncaster January Sale had also been separated into two sections as well, with National Hunt mares and horses-in-training to go under the hammer online on Jan. 26. The National Hunt weanlings and point-to-pointers will be conducted live at the Doncaster Sales Complex on Feb. 17.
A summary of the changes are as follows:
Goffs February Sale – Breeding Stock, Older Horses and Two-Year-Olds:
- Circa 250 lots offered in a live online auction on their intended dates of Tuesday 9 and Wednesday 10 Feb.
- Sale starts at 12 noon each day
- A separate catalogue for this sale will be available online from Friday 8 Jan. The printed catalogue will be distributed next week
- Format follows the successful Online Autumn Yearling and HIT sales held in November with no horses, vendors or purchasers on site
Goffs February Sale – Weanlings:
- Circa 240 lots offered at a physical sale at Kildare Paddocks on Tuesday 2 Mar.
- Horses available for inspection and presented for sale as normal
- Sale starts at 10 a.m.
- A separate catalogue for this sale will be available online from Tuesday 12 Jan. The printed catalogue will follow
- Strict protocols similar to those in December will be in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all attendees, and compliance with the latest Government directives at the time
Doncaster January Sale – NH Mares and Horses-In-Training etc.:
- Offered in a live online auction on Tuesday 26 Jan. as scheduled
- No horses , vendors or purchasers on site
- A separate catalogue for this sale will be available online from Tuesday 12 Jan. The printed catalogue will be distributed the following da
Doncaster January Sale – NH Weanlings and Point-To-Pointers:
- Offered at a physical sale at the Doncaster Sales Complex on Wednesday 17 Feb.
- Horses available for inspection and presented for sale as normal
- A separate catalogue for this sale will be available and online in advance
- Strict protocols similar to those in December will be in place to ensure the safety and well-being of all attendees, and compliance with the latest Government directives at the time
Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby said, “Under the current lockdown measures in both Ireland and the UK, we do not feel it is prudent to hold a physical sale in this early part of the year and we have therefore selected alternative options that we believe will maximise the potential for vendors and buyers in all sectors.
“Where we feel it may be possible to hold an onsite sale and the category allows, these sales have been rescheduled to later dates and we will communicate any additional updates pending further Government advice. For breeding stock, particularly in-foal mares, the customer friendly Goffs Online platform, which proved a game changer throughout 2020, will facilitate their sales and international participation on the original dates. Feedback from the Autumn was very positive and clearly demonstrated that the concept works very well for these categories.
“Like everyone, we hope and pray that 2021 sees an end to Covid as vaccinations are rolled out. However, until such a time, we wish to reassure vendors and buyers that Goffs will continue to review our sales dates on an ongoing basis in consultation with our clients, industry bodies and other sales companies. As such we have again liaised with closely with Tattersalls and Arqana to ensure that any changes to our sales are in congruence with their plans. That consultation and planning should allow us to best serve the industry and carry out every sale this year as successfully as circumstances allow.”
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