Economic Indicators Fell During March

Key U.S. racing economic indicators fell in March, according to an April 4 report from Equibase Co., as inclement weather led to numerous cancellations during the month.



With a 14.74% decline in the number of races contested in March compared with the same month a year ago—from 3,337 to 2,845—U.S. total wagering fell 11.99% from $963,154,754 to $847,659,953. There were resultant declines in U.S. purses, down 11.64% to $75,750,954 last month compared with $85,728,161 in March 2014.



The 332 race days in March represented a 14.87% decrease from the 390 in March 2014 and the number of starts fell 10.9% from 24,698 to 22,005.



For the first three months of 2014, U.S. racing handle fell 5.18% from $2,555,948,225 in 2014 to $2,423,645,328. U.S. purses were down 5.95% during the quarter, as U.S. race days, number of races, and number of starts also declined.