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Wagering down on Kentucky Oaks A crowd of 100,046 looked on Friday as PROUD SPELL (Proud Citizen) schooled her nine rivals in the 134th running of the Kentucky Oaks (G1) by five lengths. It was the ninth largest on-track gathering in Kentucky Oaks history, but the dreary weather, which forced fans from their seats during repeated downpours, did take its toll on wagering. Total wagering from all sources on the Kentucky Oaks was $9,138,950, a 9.6-percent decrease when compared with the $10,112,064 wagered on the 2007 Oaks. On-track wagering on the Oaks totaled $2,540,831, a 14.4-percent decrease over the $2,968,635 wagered one year ago, while off-track wagering totaled $6,032,223, a 6.4-percent decrease over the 2007 off-track total of $7,143,429. All-sources wagering on the 11-race Kentucky Oaks card was $31,231,991, a 7-percent decrease from the 2007 total of $33,570,510. On-track wagering on the entire card was $11,217,756, a decrease of 8.3 percent from the $12,234,128 wagered by patrons at Churchill Downs during the previous year. Off-track wagering on the Friday card was $18,142,336, a 4.9-percent decrease over the 2007 figure of $19,086,056. "Kentucky Oaks 134 started out spectacularly, with an early arriving crowd and strong wagering right up until the time it started pouring," Churchill Downs President Steve Sexton said. "The constant rain drove our guests under cover, and wagering began to decline after a seven-horse race scratched down to just five entries. "Lower off-track wagering also contributed to (the day's) declines, as race fans in major South Florida markets were unable to wager on Churchill Downs' races, including the Kentucky Oaks, due to an ongoing dispute with Florida horsemen. Additionally, Kentucky horsemen did not permit any wagering on the Oaks undercard via two national advanced-deposit wagering companies, TwinSpires.com and Xpressbet.com, and that also contributed to lower off-track handle." The heavy rains that began at midday caused many fans to leave the track early. However, 100,046 did brave the wet weather, only a 0.03 percent decrease from the 2007 Kentucky Oaks Day crowd of 100,075, which also endured periodic showers early in the day. Churchill Downs' on-track attendance and wagering figures do not include totals from Churchill Downs' Trackside Louisville off-track betting facility. A total of 5,967 patrons, a 12.6-percent decrease from the 2007 Trackside attendance figure of 6,852, wagered $169,936 on the Kentucky Oaks, a decrease of 19.1 percent as compared to the $209,966 wagered by Trackside patrons one year ago. Trackside Louisville patrons wagered $656,357 on the entire Friday card, a decrease of 12.3 percent from the previous year's total of $748,740.
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