All-sources wagering down for Derby 139, but still second-highest of all time

All-sources wagering down for Derby 139, but still

second-highest of all time

It was a memorable and rainy 139th running of the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby as 151,616 enthusiastic fans

weathered the consistent, heavy rains at Churchill Downs to watch Kentucky-bred

Orb cover a sloppy track and win the garland of roses that go to the winner.

Wagering from all-sources on the Kentucky Derby race card

totaled $184.6 million, a decrease of 1 percent from 2012's all-time record,

which totaled $187.0 million. All-sources wagering on the Kentucky Derby race

was down 2 percent from $133.1 million to $130.5 million. Both were the

second-highest of all time.

On-track wagering on the Derby decreased 7 percent, from

$12.3 million to $11.5 million, most likely as a result of the steady, cold rain that continued

throughout the day. On-track wagering on the Derby program decreased 11 percent,

from $23.7 million to $21.1 million.

Churchill Downs returned $150.6 million to bettors, which

amounts to 81.6 percent of total wagering on the Derby Day race card.

Additionally, purses earned from the Derby Day race card approximated $8.2

million that will be paid out to horsemen during the remainder of the 2013

racing meets.

Finally, pari-mutuel taxes in the amount of $700,000 were generated from the Derby Day race card, which will be paid to the

Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Additionally, approximately $1.6 million of handle from

separate pools on the Derby race has already been reported. Total separate pool

handle on the Derby Day race card during 2012 totaled $1.4 million.

"The Churchill Downs team congratulates all those involved

with Orb and his victory in this year's 139th running of the Kentucky Derby," said Kevin Flanery, president of Churchill Downs

Racetrack.

"(Saturday's) second-highest wagering, the commitment of our fans who

didn't let the rain dampen their enthusiasm and an incredible performance by Orb

again prove that the Kentucky Derby is truly America's greatest two-minutes in

sports. We are proud of the enduring tradition that is the Kentucky Derby as

well as the high-quality racing product we saw (Saturday) by all the horse

owners, trainers and jockeys who participated."

For Derby Day, TwinSpires.com, the country's leading online

wagering platform, handle on all racing totaled a record

$19.5 million, up 11 percent over $17.5 million in 2012. For the Derby race

itself, handle totaled a record $10 million on

TwinSpires.com, up 10 percent

from $9.1 million in 2012.

The new Kentucky Derby app, "DerbyMe," was downloaded by 55,500 people,

and Derby Nation on Facebook now totals a record 258,000

people, up 24 percent over last year.

Total unique visitors to

KentuckyDerby.com

and KentuckyOaks.com over Derby weekend totaled 2.3 million, up 35 percent over

last year. Of the more than 250,000 unique visitors, 55 percent visited using their

mobile device.

All-sources handle for Churchill Downs' opening night, April 27,

through Derby Day on Saturday was $258.5 million, up 2 percent over

2012's $253.6 million. Attendance for those five days was down 5 percent to

331,922 from 350,975 in 2012, with attendance declines on rainy opening night

and Derby Day accounting for the overall decline.

The fourth annual Taste of Derby, held last Thursday at the Kentucky Exposition Center, carried on

its tradition of good taste with a record crowd of almost 1,500. Since its inception in 2010, Churchill Downs has donated a

total of $230,000 to hunger relief organizations around the world through this

event. Partial proceeds from 2013's Taste of Derby will go to Dare to Care and

hunger relief organizations in areas represented by the participating chefs.

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