BC Day One: Attendance Up, Wagering Down
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Breeders' Cup for its Oct. 31 program reported a gain in attendance but a decline in total pari-mutuel handle compared with the first day of the 2013 World Championships.
Officials reported a crowd of 37,205 at Santa Anita Park for Friday's Cup program, up 3.8% from the Friday figure of 35,833 last year at Santa Anita.
It was the highest Friday attendance figure since 2011 at Churchill Downs, when the number was reported at 40,677.
Total handle for the 10-race card with four Breeders' Cup races Oct. 31 was $45,815,112, down 11% from the 2013 figure of $51,521,146 for an 11-race card with five Breeders' Cup races. Officials attributed much of the drop in handle to having one less Cup race; the Marathon (gr. II) wasn't carded for this year.
The Marathon was replaced this year by the grade II Las Vegas Marathon, which went as the second race and generated about $1.7 million in wagering. In 2013 handle on the Breeders' Cup Marathon exceeded $5 million.
Breeders' Cup officials said the figure met their projections given one less race in total, and one less Breeders' Cup stakes.