Derby Day betting declined slightly, ending a four-year streak of setting new all-time highs
LOUISVILLE – It was another historic Kentucky Derby for Churchill Downs, although this year, the history happened on the track instead of the betting window.
Track officials announced the first leg of the Triple Crown attracted $225 million in wagers. That’s the second-highest handle in the race’s history, down 3.8% from last year’s record $234 million.
The drop in Kentucky Derby betting corresponded with a $9 million drop in the overall handle for the day. Again, the $340 million wagered on the 14-race card ended up second only to the $349 million last year.
A crowd of 150,415 filled the stands, the paddock and the infield for the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby, won by Golden Tempo, and Cherie DeVaux became the first female trainer to saddle a Derby winner. Golden Tempo won by a neck over Renegade, co-owned by Mike Repole.
Part of the decline in this year’s Derby betting may have been the result of Great White being scratched just before post time after he flipped over backward as starters loaded the field into the gate.
Great White’s odds were similar to those of Golden Tempo, meaning millions of dollars in wagers were refunded, and it’s likely many who backed Great White did not get a chance to make another wager before the race started a few minutes later.
It was the first time since 2021 that the Derby card did not set a handle record, and that year, Churchill Downs limited attendance due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Primetime Oaks Move Pays Off
While the Derby handle did not set a new record, the Kentucky Oaks card on Friday did. According to Ed DeRosa from Horse Racing Nation, the track posted an $88.5 million handle for the 13 races that day. That rose 17.5% from the $75.3 million handle posted in 2024.
This year’s Kentucky Oaks, a top race for 3-year-old fillies, was moved to a primetime 8:40 p.m. ET post time from its traditional starting time of just before 6 p.m. It was a decision that angered a lot of Louisville restaurants, who argued running the Oaks at night would hurt their business on what has traditionally been one of their busiest days of the year.
Churchill Downs announced an attendance of 103,290 for Friday, but a significant number of those patrons left before the Oaks in order to get to a restaurant or one of the numerous Derby Eve galas taking place in Louisville.
While fans may have left early, the later starting time allowed a larger national audience to watch the race on television, and with most of the country off work when the race started, it definitely helped produce the record-shattering handle.
As much as locals may despise the late Oaks start, the record handle means a primetime start is likely here to stay for the race.
Oaks, Sunday Cards Help Generate Record Derby Week Handle
The boost in Oaks betting led to Churchill Downs also posting a record handle for Derby Week. Company officials announced bettors wagered $487 million, a $13 million jump from last year’s record-setting total.
In addition to the Oaks increase, Churchill Downs also added a Sunday racing card to the festivities, giving the track seven cards over the eight days.
Churchill also announced that TwinSpires, its online wagering platform, also took a record $129 million of Churchill’s Derby Week bets. That represented a $7 million increase from the previous record set last year.
Of that $129 million, $89 million came in on Derby Day races, and bettors wagered $57 million on the Derby through Churchill’s advance-deposit wagering platform.
In a press release announcing the handle totals, the company said it expects Derby Week activities to produce a record EBITDA and forecasted an increase of up to $18 million from 2025.
Churchill Gets Derby Contracts Off Polymarket
In another victory for Churchill Downs, the company on Friday successfully got Polymarket to shut down the Derby contracts it offered on its prediction market platform.
Novig, a sweepstakes sports betting exchange, also listed the race on its app Friday afternoon, but it canceled the market and issued refunds to bettors.
On its Discord, the company said it removed the Derby after having “important discussions.”
A spokesperson for Churchill Downs Inc. told Gambling Insider the company did not contact Novig.
The post $88.5 Million in Oaks Day Wagers Leads to Record Kentucky Derby Week Handle for Churchill Downs appeared first on Gambling Insider.
