Despite a dip in on-track attendance at Upstate New York‘s historic race track, summer horse betting handle at Saratoga increased this year, boosted by record-setting wagering on Travers Stakes Day.
On Monday, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) announced that total horse betting surpassed $803.8 million across 39 racing days. The total was up from last year’s 40-day total of $799.2 million.
The average daily handle was up 3%, as bettors staked $20.6 million per day this year compared to just under $20 million last summer.
Record-setting horse betting
Travers Stakes Day on Aug. 24, the most popular day of the summer racing season, produced record-high horse betting for NYRA. Horseplayers staked more than $63 million across 14 races, up from the previous Travers Day horse betting record set in 2022 at $55.6 million in total handle.
A comprehensive marketing plan from DraftKings and a FOX Sports national broadcast helped, at least in part, to boost handle. The popular US sports betting app sponsored the marquee race, engaging casual fans and VIP customers.
“The Travers is a sensational summer event that we were happy to be involved with,” Johnny Avello, DraftKings director of race & sportsbook operations, told LSR Tuesday. “We saw strong handle on the race both at Saratoga and on (our horse betting app) DK Horse. We’re glad we were able to offer customers a great experience during the summer’s biggest race at one of the most prestigious tracks in the country.”
DraftKings did not provide specific Travers Day handle or DK Horse sign-up figures.
On-track betting figures
On-track betting handle approached $11.3 million on Travers Stakes Day with nearly 48,000 people in attendance.
Attendance exceeded 1 million visitors, as it usually does, for the summer. However, overall paid admissions were down 5% this year, with roughly 55,000 fewer guests than last year.
Total on-track handle reached $136.3 million, down from $142.9 million the year before.
Big events drive horse betting handle
Travers Stakes Day handle continued this year’s theme of mainstream events driving increased betting figures.
The Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes posted record-setting volume earlier this year. Preakness Stakes betting also rebounded after a down year in 2023. All three Triple Crown races had national TV broadcasts on NBC or FOX.
The Breeders’ Cup World Championships, from Nov. 1-2 at Del Mar, north of San Diego, is the next mainstream event on the horse racing calendar.
