Breeders' Cup Wagering Exceeds $140 Million

As predicted, all-source wagering exceeded $140 million for the Breeders' Cup World Championships held Nov. 4 at Churchill Downs, according to official figures released Nov. 9.

Three major wagering records were set, including total handle, Breeders' Cup-only handle and simulcast handle.

Total all-sources handle for the 10-race card was $140,332,198, a 13.1% increase over the previous record of $123,978,241, which was set last year at Belmont Park. At the day-after press breakfast Nov. 5, Breeders' Cup officials predicted total wagering would exceed $140 million when all wagering pools were tabulated.

At Churchill Downs, the crowd of 75,132 wagered a Breeders' Cup on-track record $18,259,971 on the full, 10-race program, and $17,184,919 on the eight Breeders' Cup races. This full-card, on-track total breaks the previous Breeders' Cup record of $16,346,688 set at the 2003 Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita Park.

A record total of $26,692,697 was wagered on the final race of the day, the Breeders' Cup Classic–Powered by Dodge (gr. I). This year's all-sources Classic handle, which included more than $2.4 million bet on runner-up Bernardini, was 44% higher than last year's Classic wagering total of $18,533,279.

A record total of $134,357,846 was wagered at Churchill Downs and at simulcast outlets around the world on the eight Breeders' Cup World Championships races. This mark breaks the old record of $116,465,923 set last year at Belmont Park, and is a 15.4% increase from 2005 figures.

A record was also established for total simulcast handle, with $122,072,227 wagered on the full 10-race card. Simulcasting accounted for 87% of the more than $140 million total handle.

Among the account wagering platforms, TVG led the way with $4,815,799 followed by youbet.com at $4,014,753, and America TAB with $2,359,437.

International simulcast handle, including common- and separate-pool wagering, totaled $19,271,734. Canada led the way, wagering $5,392,889 on the eight Breeders' Cup races. Handle from France PMU was $4,428,469, an increase of $1 million (32%) from 2005. International handle represented 13.7% of the total handle.

The two Pick 4s offered on the Breeders' Cup card increased significantly versus last year. The early Pick 4, comprising races 3-6, handled $2,255,155, up 22% from last year. The late Pick 4, comprising races 7-10, handled $2,723,446, up 19% from last year's total of $2,280,681.

A total of $4,786,481 was wagered on the Breeders' Cup Ultra Pick 6, a 4.4% increase over last year's handle of $4,586,700. There were two winning tickets, each worth $1,450,707. One ticket was purchased at Hinsdale Greyhound in New Hampshire and the other ticket was purchased through XpressBet in Oregon. There were 85 consolation tickets worth $11,318.

"We are delighted with our record-setting wagering performance at this year's Breeders' Cup," said Breeders' Cup President and Chief Executive Officer Greg Avioli in a statement. "We salute our fans at Churchill Downs and elsewhere, whose support made this year's event one of the greatest in Breeders' Cup history."

In addition to the wagering figures, there were 104 starters in this year's Breeders' Cup, which was the highest number of Breeders' Cup starters all-time, breaking the old mark of 103 horses set at the 2000 Breeders' Cup at Churchill Downs.