Wagering on U.S. races in November was up slightly compared to the same month last year, but a relatively larger jump in the number of races held during the month drove the average betting per race down, according to figures distributed Friday by Equibase. Total wagering jumped 1.2 percent during the month to $921.1 million, but the number of races held during the month increased 2.1 percent. That led to a 0.9 percent drop in average wagering per race, to $397,721. Both November of this year and November of last year included the two-day Breeders’ Cup event, held this year at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club outside of San Diego. Total handle on the 14 races of the Breeders’ Cup this year was $152.5 million, up $4.1 million compared to wagering on the 14 races last year at Santa Anita Park in Southern California, according to charts of the races. November of this year had nine weekend dates, compared to eight last year. Handle is generally higher on weekend dates than weekdays. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. November handle numbers this year also included additional race dates at Churchill Downs in Kentucky, at the expense of race dates at Turfway Park. Churchill’s races draw far more in betting than Turfway’s races. Both tracks are owned by Churchill Downs Inc. Purses distributed during November of this year were up 3.9 percent, pushing the average purse per race up 1.8 percent, to $51,331. Field size was statistically even with last November, at 7.77 horses per race, compared to 7.80 horses per race last year.  For the year, total handle is down 2.54 percent, while the total number of races is down 2.58 percent, leading to a static number for average handle per race through the first 11 months of the year.  :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.