Slight Drop in Wagering on 2026 Breeders' Cup Races

Handle on the 14 Breeders' Cup races Oct. 30-31 at Keeneland saw a slight decline when compared with last year's event at Del Mar. The handle reached $146,431,783, down 1.2% from 2025. This year's two-day Breeders' Cup enjoyed a spike in attendance when compared with last year, up 25% to 81,604 for the two days. Saturday's attendance was 45,775. As the weekend's undercard races saw a larger decline than the Breeders' Cup races, all-sources, common-pool handle for the two-day Breeders' Cup was down 6.7% to $167,930,278 when compared with last year. Total common-pool handle on Saturday's 12-race Breeders' Cup card was $114,303,297. All-sources common-pool handle on Breeders' Cup's 10-race Future Stars Friday card was $53,626,981 (corrected from Friday's report). On-track handle for the two days was $18,322,068. International separate-pool wagering figures are not yet available. The Breeders' Cup World Championships will return to Belmont Park in 2027, marking a return to New York for the first time since 2005. The 44th edition will be held there Oct. 29-30. *No attendance reported because of COVID-19