U.S. Racing Impacted by Weather in February

A 5.07% decline in race days due to weather-related cancellations resulted in a 4.09% decrease in total wagering on U.S. races in February, according to the latest economic indicators from Equibase Company.

Handle on U.S. racing last month totaled $792,580,107, compared with $826,278,178 for February 2013. Purses paid during the month of $62,457,558 represented a 5.7% decline from the same month a year ago.

While total handle fell due to the decreased number of race days, the average of $2,820,356 for the 281 race days during February 2014 represented a slight increase over the $2,791,480 average for 296 race days in February 2013.

For the first two months of 2014, there were two fewer race days than last year, with wagering down 2.18% and purses paid declining 2.17%.