All-sources handle on the five Breeders’ Cup races held Friday at Del Mar, including betting on all multi-race wagers ending in a Breeders’ Cup race, was up 1.9 percent compared to the same five races last year, according to race charts. The comparison of the two sets of races is imperfect, as last year’s card included a pick 5 that ended with the first Breeders’ Cup race on the card, in addition to a late pick 5 that included all five Breeders’ Cup races. This year, only one pick 5 was included in the Breeders’ Cup sequence. Total comingled betting on the five Friday Breeders’ Cup races this year was $45.73 million, according to the charts, compared to $44.88 million last year. Handle last year on the pick 5 that ended with the first Breeders’ Cup race was $2.37 million. Last year, 58 horses competed in the five Friday Breeders’ Cup races, compared to 54 horses this year. All of the Friday Breeders’ Cup races in both years were restricted to 2-year-olds, as has been the norm for the Friday cards for more than a decade. Last year’s card was held at Santa Anita, with the first Breeders’ Cup race going to post at 2:03 p.m. Pacific, or 5:03 Eastern. This year, the first Breeders’ Cup race went to post approximately 45 minutes later than the first post this year. Handle was especially strong on the first race in the sequence, the Juvenile Turf Sprint, and the fourth race, the Juvenile, the race whose runners typically have the most name recognition among racing fans due to its Kentucky Derby implications. The Juvenile Turf Sprint had a 12-horse field in both 2023 and 2024, while the Juvenile had a 10-horse field, compared to nine horses last year. Straight and exotic betting on the Juvenile Fillies was down 22 percent compared to last year, according to the charts, but this year’s field had nine horses, compared to 12 last year. Handle on the third and fifth races in the sequence, the Juvenile Fillies Turf and the Juvenile Turf, was statistically even with last year. The multi-race bets ending in the last Breeders’ Cup race this year were up significantly, with handle on the daily double jumping 24.6 percent; the pick 3, 37.9 percent; the pick 4, 32.8 percent; the pick 5, 19.0 percent; and the pick 6, 23.9 percent. All-sources betting on the entire 10-race card on Friday was $63.7 million, according to Breeders’ Cup, up 2.5 percent over the full-card handle of $62.1 last year. The record Friday handle was set at Keeneland Racecourse in Kentucky in 2022, at $66.1 million. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.