HRI STAFF Edited Release–-The RUNHAPPY Meet at Kentucky Downs concluded its five-date meet once again breaking wagering records, with betting from all sources totaling $41,239,699.
That’s a 13.2-percent increase over the $36,421,721 wagered in 2018. Kentucky Downs set a record for each of the meet’s corresponding dates, including the $7,280,542 bet on Thursday’s finale.
Though the final number has to be audited, purses unofficially totaled $11,565,684, up 13 percent over last year’s record purses and Kentucky-bred supplements of $10,233,665 paid out at that meet.
That computes to an unofficial average purse of $231,313 for the 50 races, and doesn’t include the $5 million in purses and Kentucky-bred supplements generated at Kentucky Downs and transferred to Ellis Park through an agreement with the Kentucky HBPA, which represents horse owners and trainers at both tracks.
Field size averaged a record 11.26 horses per race, with a capacity of 12 horses starting in a race.
The 2019 race meet was the first under the new ownership headed by prominent horseman and entrepreneur Ron Winchell and veteran gaming executive and financial analyst Marc Falcone.
