The two-day attendance total for the 2011 Breeders’ Cup World Championships dipped by 7% compared to last year's record attendance, Breeders' Cup officials announced after the conclusion of races Nov. 5.
The two-day attendance total for 2011 was 105,820, down from last year's record total of 114,353 that was fueled by the legendary race mare Zenyatta’s bid to remain undefeated.
After a 2% decrease in attendance for Day 1 on Nov. 4, there were 65,143 were on hand Nov. 5 for a 12-race card that included nine Breeders’ Cup World Championship races. That was a 10.4% decline from last year’s Saturday attendance of 72,739.
The two-day common pool total was $155,525,947, a decrease of 4.9% from the record-setting $163,619,784 wagered in 2010. The common pool handle for the 12-race card Nov. 5 was $105,472,442, a decrease of 4.5% from the last year's Saturday common-pool handle of $110,609,159 for 11 races. The $50,053,505 wagered on the Nov. 4 card was a decrease of 5.6% from the $53,010,625 bet on Friday's card in 2010.
For the Breeders’ Cup races only, the two-day common pool total was $140,070,365 down 5.1% from the $147,524,454 bet last year.
On-track handle at Churchill Downs for the two days was $21,475,916, down 4.9% from the 2010 figure of $22,586,311. On Nov. 5, the on-track handle was $13,710,734, off 4.8% from $14,405,874 wagered on-site in 2010.
“Congratulations to all the winners over the two days of our Championships,” said Breeders’ Cup President and CEO Craig Fravel. “The Breeders’ Cup extends its sincere thanks to all of the participants in our event, to the enthusiastic crowd, to our sponsors, and to our partners at Churchill Downs. We look forward to the 2012 event at Santa Anita Park.”
Complete all-sources Breeders’ Cup handle numbers, including separate pool and exchange wagering, will be available early next week.
