Purses, field size down at Churchill fall meet

A dramatic renewal of the $550,700 Clark Handicap, won in heart-pounding

fashion by Will Take Charge, was the unquestionable highlight of a compelling

racing season, but business levels during Churchill Downs' 25-day Fall Meet that

concluded on Saturday felt the impact of continued growth of competition from

casinos and racetracks with purses that benefit from additional gaming revenues,

along with a run of uncommonly damp and cold weather through the duration of the

meet.

The October 27-November 30 meet had difficulty in building momentum, and the

combination of continued growth and maturation of regional casinos, growing

competition from racetracks with purses fueled by gaming revenues and the meet's

weather woes prompted track officials to enact a reduction in race purses during

the meet's final week.

"We had many highlights during our Fall Meet as our Thanksgiving Weekend

racing and hospitality efforts were strong, and our 'Stars of Tomorrow' programs

for two-year-olds remained popular," Churchill Downs President Kevin Flanery

said. "But those successes were accompanied by challenges that impacted our

product and our business levels. Along with ongoing competition from casinos in

our market that have been part of the scene now for 15 years, competition for

both horses and wagering dollars from racetracks that benefit from casino and

gaming revenues continues to intensify.

"Those tracks are luring stables and horses from our Kentucky market and

Churchill Downs meets, which puts pressure on our efforts to maintain large and

competitive fields of horses. That competitive pressure was exacerbated this

fall when we encountered unusually wet and cool weather that cost us several

days of turf racing, which made it more difficult to maintain large and

attractive field sizes. We could have been luckier with the weather, but given

the strengthening of our ongoing competition, this meet would have been

challenging if each day had been sunny and warm."

Despite four additional racing days, total purses paid during the meet were

down from a year ago. The daily purse total for 2013 was $8,222,029, down from

$8,894,694 paid in the 21-day session of 2012.

The daily average for purses paid during the 25 racing days of Fall Meet 2013

was $328,881, a decline of 22.4 percent from the average of $423,557 over 21

racing days in 2012.

The size of the average racing field at Churchill Downs during the 25-day

session was 8.84 horses, a decrease from the average of 9.56 horses-per-race

during the 21-day meet of 2012.

Damp and cold weather was a consistent concern for racing scheduled for the

turf during the meet, and more than one-third of the races scheduled for that

surface were taken off the grass because of wet or frozen course conditions and

moved to the main track. A total of 52 races were drawn for the Matt Winn Turf

Course, but weather issues forced 20 to be transferred to the main track.

Following the announcement of those changes, a total of 74 horses were scratched

from those races.

While the performances of Clark Handicap winner Will Take Charge and some of

the rising two-year-olds on display in Fall Meet helped validate those horses as

important rising stars in American racing, the winners the meet's "human races"

were established stars who had already enjoyed significant success beneath the

Twin Spires.

Owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey completed a historic year at Churchill Downs by

earning the Fall Meet crown for leading owner to extend their record for titles

at the track to 21 and become the first owners to collect three of those crowns

in a calendar year. The Nicholasville, Kentucky, couple sent 19 of their horses

into the winner's circle to finish well ahead of runner-up Maggi Moss to earn

their 11th Fall Meet title. Moss had nine winners from only 22 starts during the

meet. The Ramseys earlier won the Spring Meet title and earned the leading owner

award in the new September Meet.

Corey Lanerie collected 36 wins during the Fall Meet and cruised to his

fourth leading jockey crown and his second straight Fall Meet title at Churchill

Downs. The native of Lafayette, Louisiana, finished well ahead of runner-up

Julien Leparoux, who closed strongly to finish with 20 wins. The Fall Meet crown

was the latest in a two-year run during which Lanerie has won four of the last

five leading jockey titles at Churchill Downs.

Dylan Davis collected 13 victories and was the meet's top apprentice jockey.

The 19-year-old Davis was also the top apprentice during the tracks 2013 Spring

Meet and September Meet.

Racing will return to Churchill Downs on April 26, 2014 -- the date for the

Opening Night celebration under the lights that starts both Kentucky Derby Week

and the track's April 26-June 29 Spring Meet. The 140th running of the Kentucky

Derby is scheduled for May 3, while the 140th Kentucky Oaks will be run one day

earlier.

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