An all-sources figure of $155,474,553 was wagered on the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park, which was the second year the event was conducted over a two-day period. Handle at last year’s event at Monmouth Park, which was the first to be run over two days, was $147,381,170.
Cup officials earlier said handle appeared a bit soft, primarily because of the national economy. Most racetracks have reported handle declines in the last six months.
Last year's two-day total handle on 11 races undoubtedly was impacted by poor weather at Monmouth Park in New Jersey. This year, it was a tad warm but sunny for both days and the card grew to 14 races for the first time.
The totals include a separate pool estimate of $5 million on wagering from Hong Kong, France, United Kingdom, Mexico, and Australia, and is based on results of previous years.
Total on-track full-card handle was $18,685,080, with $6,852,096 wagered on Friday and $11,832,984 on Saturday.
Friday’s attendance was 31,257 and Saturday’s was 51,331, combining for a total of 82,588.
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