Contact: Jim Gluckson 646-335-6835
ATTENDANCE AND HANDLE INCREASE AT 2016 BREEDERS’ CUP
ARCADIA, Calif. (Nov. 5, 2016) – A crowd of 72,811, the highest single-day
attendance for a Breeders’ Cup since the event switched to a two-day format, cheered
on as blossoming 3-year-old star, Juddmonte Farms’ Arrogate, bested hometown
favorite California Chrome, North America’s richest racehorse, at the wire to win the $6
million Breeders’ Cup Classic today at Santa Anita Park.
Saturday’s attendance at Santa Anita was the highest for any Breeders’ Cup day since
72,730 were on hand at Churchill Downs in 2010 to see legendary race mare Zenyatta
in the final race of her career. The two-day attendance for 2016 was 118,484, the
highest in Breeders’ Cup history.
Common-pool wagering on Saturday's 12-race Breeders' Cup card was $109,055,897,
a 3.2% increase over the $105,625,491 wagered in 2015. Common-pool wagering for
the two days was $159,991,803 an increase of 6.25% over the $150,574,656 total in
2015.
Saturday’s on-track handle was $13,515,269, an increase of 3.5% over last year’s ontrack handle at Keeneland. The on-track handle at Santa Anita for the two days was
$20,694,235.
“The Breeders’ Cup exists to showcase the very best of Thoroughbred racing and we
witnessed that over the last two days,” Breeders' Cup President and CEO Craig Fravel
said. “We want to thank racing fans here and around the world for watching and
wagering on our event. Santa Anita showed again why it is such a spectacular venue for
our championships and we also want to thank our hosts from the Stronach Group, its
staff, our volunteers and the cites of Arcadia and Pasadena.”
Breeders’ Cup will release a complete event recap with total handle, including separate
pools, early next week.
Breeders' Cup Two-Day Attendance and Handle (common-pool) history:
2016, Santa Anita Park – 118,484; $159,991,803
2015, Keeneland Race Course – 94,652; $150,574,656
2014, Santa Anita Park – 98,319; $151,794,174
2013, Santa Anita Park – 94,628; $160,704,877 (includes separate pools)
2012, Santa Anita Park – 89,742; $144,272,332
2011, Churchill Downs – 105,820; $161,512,867
2010, Churchill Downs – 114,353; $173,857,697
2009, Santa Anita Park – 96,496; $153,271,176
2008, Santa Anita Park – 86,588; $155,740,328
2007, Monmouth Park – 69,584; $129,197,262
About Breeders’ Cup
The Breeders’ Cup administers the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred
racing’s year-end Championships. The Breeders’ Cup also administers the Breeders’ Cup
Challenge qualifying series, which provides automatic starting positions into the Championships
races. The 2016 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, consisting of 13 grade I races with
purses and awards totaling $28 million, was heNovember 4-5 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia,
Calif., and will be televised live by the NBC Sports Group. Breeders’ Cup press releases appear
on the Breeders’ Cup Web site, www.breederscup.com. You can also follow the Breeders’ Cup
on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube.
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