Handle on the 13-race Kentucky Oaks card at Churchill Downs on Friday was $73.9 million, down 1.8 percent compared to the record handle for last year’s 13-race card, according to figures provided by Churchill Downs.
The slight decline ended a recent run-up in record handle for the Oaks card, despite a 1.4 percent increase in handle on the Oaks itself, according to an analysis of charts of the races. A total of 108 horses ran on Friday’s card, compared to 107 on the Oaks card last year, though several of the races this year had small fields with heavy favorites, including two stakes races featuring previous champions.
Handle on the Oaks itself, including all multi-race wagers that ended in the race, was $22.59 million, up roughly $300,000 over last year’s race but well short of the $24.3 million record set in 2022, according to the charts.
Wagering pools for the multi-race bets ending in the Oaks were down across-the-board, with wagering down double digits in the pick three, pick four, and pick five, along with a 7.6 percent drop in the pick six pool.
The pick five and the pick six included the La Troienne Stakes, in which Thorpedo Anna, last year’s Horse of the Year, finished last at 2-5 in a seven-horse field. The pick six also included the Alysheba Stakes, which was won by 2023 2-year-old champion Fierceness in a six-horse field at even money,
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Good Cheer, the winner of this year’s Oaks, was the 7-5 favorite in a 13-horse field. Last year’s Oaks, won by Thorpedo Anna, had 14 horses.
Straight betting and exacta betting on the Oaks was especially strong this year, underlining a recent trend in major races in which the simpler bets on the menu have posted strong gains, likely due to the widespread availability of sports betting apps, which cater to less sophisticated horseplayers. Straight betting, despite the presence of a 7-5 shot, was up 12 percent to $8.51 million, while exacta betting was up 8.8 percent to $4.29 million.
The track for the Oaks was listed as wet-fast after Churchill sealed the surface between dirt races following a late-card shower.
Churchill announced attendance for this year’s Oaks at “more than 100,000,” but did not provide a specific number. Attendance last year was 107,236, Churchill had said, compared to attendance of 106,381 in 2023.
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