Preakness reports record handle of $113m
The Preakness generated record handle over the weekend despite limited fan capacity.
Counting the 14-race card on Friday, handle for the weekend was $113m. Approximately $69m was wagered on the Preakness Stakes, won by Rombauer.
Total handle blew away the previous record of $100m set in 2019. Preakness Stakes handle was also a record, topping the $60m wagered in 2018.
Held at Pimlico Race Horse in Baltimore, the Preakness usually attracts around 130,000 fans but this year capacity was reduced to approximately 10,000.
The record handle is a much-needed endorsement for the popularity of horse racing, which has faced controversy this month after trainer Bob Baffert said his Kentucky Derby winning horse Medina Spirit failed a drug test.
Baffert has denied any wrongdoing in the matter. Medina Spirit was allowed to run at the Preakness Stakes after it passed multiple pre-race drug tests.
A 2-1 favorite, Medina Spirit finished third at the Preakness, behind 11-1 longshot Rombauer and runner-up Midnight Burboun (3-1).
On Monday Baffert was temporarily banned from entering Medina Spirit and other horses at Belmont Park, home of the Belmont Stakes which takes place June 5. The Belmont Stakes is the third and final race of the Triple Crown.
“In order to maintain a successful thoroughbred racing industry in New York, NYRA must protect the integrity of the sport for our fans, the betting public and racing participants,” NYRA president and CEO Dave O’Rourke said. “That responsibility demands the action taken today in the best interests of thoroughbred racing.”
Earlier this month Churchill Downs reported Kentucky Derby Day total handle of $233m. Wagering on the 19-horse Kentucky Derby was $155m, down slightly from 2019’s haul of $166m but up 96% from last year.
Churchill said that its TwinSpires app recorded $63m of wagers on Churchill Downs Derby Day races.
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