LEXINGTON, Ky. – Handle on the 14 Breeders’ Cup races, held Friday and Saturday at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Ky., was down 7.4 percent compared to the event’s record handle last year at Santa Anita in Southern California, according to charts of the races. Total handle on the races was $141.1 million, according to the charts, down from the record set last year of $152.4 million. Post times for the Saturday Breeders’ Cup races this year were approximately 3 hours earlier than last year, while post times on Friday were approximately 2 1/2 hours earlier than last year. When the event was last held in the Eastern time zone, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., in 2018, total handle was $136.1 million. Only one race on the Saturday card, the Classic, posted higher handle than last year, according to charts. Total handle on the 10-horse Classic was $36.4 million, including all multi-leg bets ending in the race, up 6.2 percent compared to handle of $34.3 million in the 11-horse Classic last year. This year’s Classic had a well-balanced field, with five horses lower than 5-1 but none less than 3-1, generating strong numbers in the win, place, show, exacta, trifecta, and superfecta pools. :: Start earning weekly cashback on your wagering today. Click to learn more. Besides earlier post times, comparisons between the 2019 and 2020 events are also complicated by a variety of other major factors. The event held Friday and Saturday in Lexington was not open to spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and sectors of the economy continue to be significantly impacted by the virus. In addition, the result of the 2020 U.S. presidential election was announced approximately one hour prior to post time of the first Saturday Breeders’ Cup race, and much of the Midwest and Northeast experienced unusually warm weather. Still, the Breeders’ Cup fared better than other major racing events on the racing calendar this year, particularly the three Triple Crown races, which were held far from their traditional dates, in a different order, and in the case of the Belmont Stakes, at a different distance. Handle on each of those races was approximately half of a typical year, with wagering totals and television ratings suffering from the lack of casual interest in a series untethered from its traditional scheduling. At the same time, handle on horse races held in the U.S. has jumped by double digits in three of the last four months, a trend that has not yet been properly teased out from the multitude of different factors impacting economic and sporting activity in the U.S. this year. Handle on the nine Breeders’ Cup races held on Saturday was $103.6 million, according to charts of the races, down 6.4 percent compared to handle of $110.7 million on the nine Saturday Breeders’ Cup last year. Total handle on the five Friday races, including all multi-leg wagers ending in a Breeders’ Cup race, was $37.5 million, according to charts, down 10 percent compared to $41.7 million last year. Last year’s Friday card had an additional pick four and pick five in the five-race sequence, accounting for $3.2 million in bets. :: Want to get your Past Performances for free? Click to learn more. A total of 173 horses ran in the 14 Breeders’ Cup races this year, for an average of 12.4 horses per race, compared to 163 horses last year (11.6 horses per race). Handle on both days this year was down much more significantly during the early races than the late races, reflecting the impact of the time difference between when the races were held this year compared to last year. Handle on the first Breeders’ Cup race of the day on Saturday, the Filly and Mare Sprint, was down 20.6 percent compared to last year, while handle on the last race prior to the Classic, the Turf, was down 11 percent. Handle on the Distaff, held before the Turf, was down 4.7 percent. This year’s Breeders’ Cup was held with limited people on track due to the coronavirus pandemic, estimated at several thousand personnel, owners, trainers, and breeders. Last year, attendance at Santa Anita for the Saturday card was 67,811, while attendance on the Friday card was 41,243.