RECORD KENTUCKY DERBY DAY

All-sources pari-mutuel handle on the 13-race Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) program May 2 totaled a record $194.3 million, up 4% from $186.6 million in 2014, Churchill Downs Inc. said.

The figure is 4% higher than the previous mark of $187 million established in 2012.

All-sources wagering on the Kentucky Derby itself was up 7% to $137.9 million, from $129.2 million last year, and up 4%, from the previous all-time high of $133.1 million in 2012, CDI said in a release.

This year's on-track attendance of 170,513 is a new record. The previous record of 165,307 was set in 2012.

Despite the jump in attendance, on-track handle dropped 2%, to $23 million, from $23.4 million in 2014. But on-track wagering on the 18-horse Derby was up 1%, to $12 million, from $11.9 million last year, when there was a full field of 20, the company said.

CDI, which heavily pushes its TwinSpires.com advance deposit wagering service, said wagering through the system for the 13-race program this year was $20.8 million, up 17%, from $17.8 million last year. TwinSpires.com handle on the Derby also rose 17%, from $11.3 million in 2014, to a record $13.2 million.

The company said the Kentucky Derby program at Churchill Downs generated about $10.7 million in purses that will be paid out to horsemen during 2015 race meets.

"The Kentucky Derby is an awe-inspiring spectacle and all of us who work here feel privileged to be a part of this experience," CDI chief executive officer Bill Carstanjen said in the release. "We saw continued improvement again this year and we preliminarily expect record (adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization), with growth over last year's Kentucky Oaks and Derby week of $5 million to $6.5 million."

Churchill begins Derby week on opening night of its spring meet. All-sources handle from April 25 through May 2 was up 4%, to a record $263.3 million, from $253.8 million in 2014. Attendance for one night and four days of racing increased 5%, from 348,530 last year, to 365,006 this year, the company reported.



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