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Economic Indicators: September Derby Bolsters Monthly Handle

Equibase, LLC released its monthly report on Economic Indicators in Thoroughbred Racing this Monday, Oct. 5. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Equibase is currently providing monthly reporting of its 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 Kentucky Derby's delayed date on the first Saturday in September caused a significant wagering jump for the year-over-year comparisons to the same month in 2019, an increase of 29.64 percent. Churchill reported a significant decrease in Kentucky Derby day wagering, however, down nearly 50 percent compared to the race held on the first Saturday in May in 2019.

Churchill Downs attributed the decline in handle for this year's Derby Day program to the lack of on-track wagering, fewer horses per race including in the Kentucky Derby race, and a prohibitive favorite in the Derby.

Overall, wagering in 2020 is down just 2.86 percent through September, a jump from the difference of -6.20 percent reported at the end of August. Average daily wagering continues to show a positive trend as well, up 36.10 percent through the first nine months of 2020 compared to the first nine months of 2019.

September 2020 vs. September 2019
Indicator	September 2020	September 2019	% Change
Wagering on U.S. Races*	$1,039,737,336	$801,998,134	+29.64%
U.S. Purses	$110,251,841	$118,229,293	-6.75%
U.S. Race Days	365	412	-11.41%
U.S. Races	3,101	3,329	-6.85%
U.S. Starts	24,447	25,231	-3.11%
Average Field Size	7.88	7.58	+4.02%
Average Wagering Per Race Day	$2,848,595	$1,946,597	+46.34%
Average Purses Per Race Day	$302,060	$286,964	+5.26%

3rd QTR 2020 vs. 3rd QTR 2019
Indicator	3rd QTR 2020	3rd QTR 2019	% Change
Wagering on U.S. Races*	$3,293,292,589	$2,921,407,748	+12.73%
U.S. Purses	$305,013,587	$349,865,237	-12.82%
U.S. Race Days	1,208	1,411	-14.39%
U.S. Races	9,989	11,097	-9.98%
U.S. Starts	76,402	80,738	-5.37%
Average Field Size	7.65	7.28	+5.13%
Average Wagering Per Race Day	$2,726,236	$2,070,452	+31.67%
Average Purses Per Race Day	$252,495	$247,956	+1.83%

YTD 2020 vs. YTD 2019
Indicator	YTD 2020	YTD 2019	% Change
Wagering on U.S. Races*	$8,348,815,108	$8,594,182,019	-2.86%
U.S. Purses	$629,176,645	$893,867,369	-29.61%
U.S. Race Days	2,509	3,515	-28.62%
U.S. Races	20,895	28,554	-26.82%
U.S. Starts	164,476	210,977	-22.04%
Average Field Size	7.87	7.39	+6.53%
Average Wagering Per Race Day	$3,327,547	$2,445,002	+36.10%
Average Purses Per Race Day	$250,768	$254,301	-1.39%

* Includes worldwide commingled wagering on U.S. races.

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Stratford Succumbs to Waterlogging

The Monday afternoon meeting at Stratford was cancelled due to waterlogging. The River Avon jumped its banks and flooded the course Sunday evening, thus making it impossible to conduct the scheduled National Hunt card.

“Unfortunately the river burst its banks in the early hours and the two-mile bend is waterlogged,” Stratford Clerk of the Course Nessie Lambert tweeted.

The post Stratford Succumbs to Waterlogging appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Authors Kelly, Ours Go Live Friday To Relive Man O’ War, Sir Barton Match Race

Authors Jennifer Kelly and Dorothy Ours will discuss the 100th anniversary of Man o' War's victory against Sir Barton in the 1920 Kenilworth Gold Cup in an online program hosted by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame on Friday, Oct. 9 at 11 a.m. The program will be moderated by Brien Bouyea, the Museum's Hall of Fame and Communications Director. The event can be accessed for free at:

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ymPg1E1gQ3W66AS3T0nNRg

On Oct. 12, 1920, Man o' War defeated Sir Barton by seven lengths at Kenilworth Park in Canada to earn $75,000 (a record purse for a single race at the time) and a gold cup crafted by Tiffany and Co., valued at $5,000. It was the final race Man o' War competed in, concluding his career with 20 wins from 21 starts and record earnings of $249,465. Man o' War was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1957.

Sir Barton was America's first Triple Crown winner in 1919. He raced three more times without a victory after his loss to Man o' War and was retired with 13 wins from 31 starts and earnings of $116,857. He joined Man o' War in the 1957 Hall of Fame class.

Kelly and Ours are experts on the careers of Sir Barton and Man o' War, respectively. Kelly is the author of Sir Barton and the Making of the Triple Crown, while Ours is the author of Man o' War: A Legend Like Lightning.

Kelly fell in love with horse racing when she read Walter Farley's Black Stallion series as a child and then watched the filly Winning Colors beat the boys in the 1988 Kentucky Derby. A lifelong reader and writer, she took her love of the written word to the classroom, teaching both first-year composition and technical writing for more than a decade. She then embarked on a multi-year journey to write Sir Barton and the Making of the Triple Crown, the first book to chronicle the life and career of America's first Triple Crown winner. Kelly is working on her follow-up to Sir Barton, Foxes of Belair, an exploration of the lives and careers of Gallant Fox and Omaha, America's second and third Triple Crown winners.

Ours is a history-loving lifelong horse and racing enthusiast. She worked for several years at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame and has written two books featuring Hall of Fame horses. Each has been honored as a finalist for the Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award. Man o' War: A Legend Like Lightning digs for the actual — and truly phenomenal — individual who became a myth. Battleship: A Daring Heiress, A Teenage Jockey, and America's Horse tells a story that sounds unreal: a 15.2-hand, 11-year-old stallion and a 6-foot-1, 17-year-old boy teaming up to win the world's top steeplechase. Ours also freelanced for Thoroughbred Times and served twice as a John H. Daniels Research Fellow at the National Sporting Library & Museum in Middleburg, Va. She's currently working on a third book.

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Where to Watch/Listen: Horse Racing Coverage for Oct. 7-12

The horse racing world like all other areas of society continues to make changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and public health crisis. Most racetracks currently operating are doing so without spectators, and have instituted strict safety screening protocols for essential employees who are already on the grounds to provide daily care for horses.