Breeders Cup Posts Record $189M Handle, Flightline Stays Perfect in Classic Performance
This weekend’s Breeders’ Cup races at Keeneland readiness a wagering put down according to event organizers.
Considered the human beings championships for thoroughbred racing, the two-day scorecard at the Lexington, KY cartroad generated an all-sources hold of $189.1 million. That’s a 3.4% increment over the previous in high spirits stain of $182.9 million, set lowest year at Del Mar inward California.
The Breeders’ Cup is single of the biggest events in racing, with only when the KY Derby eclipsing it from a betting perspective. This year’s Derby Clarence Shepard Day Jr. card at John Churchill Downs generated a record book handle of $273.8 million.
Nearly two-thirds of the Breeders’ Cup handle, $122.9 million, came on Saturday, which featured the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic won past Flightline. That one-day handle was bigger than the wagering activity for either the Preakness Stakes or Belmont Stakes cards this year.
“We witnessed a spectacular two years of racing capped by Flightline’s rank(a) genius inwards the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, once once more showcasing the best Thoroughbreds from around the mankind and we want to thank our partners here at Keeneland, who did a phenomenal job, and the greater Concord community,” said Breeders’ Cup president and CEO John Drew Fleming.
Attendance increased as well, with 85,824 fans attending Friday and Saturday, up from 47,089 lastly year. The on-track grip was $28.3 million.
Next year, the Breeders’ Cup returns to Santa Anita, where it was endure held in 2019.
Flightline Takes Off Again
In the main event, the $6 million Classic, odds-on favorite Flightline erstwhile again did non disappoint.
With Flavien Prat aboard, Flightline and Life Is Good broke outside from the eternal rest of the field of operation heading into the foremost turn. Flightline then stalked Life Is Good on the backstretch before catching up to him inward the net bout and horde off in convincing fashion as they run into the stretch. He ran the 1-1/4 miles inward 2:00.05.
The 4-year-old colt won past eight-and-a-quarter lengths and maintained his hone record inwards his six-race career. Trainer St. John Sadler called it “a beautiful ride” by Prat and said that Flightline proved he’s ane of the all-time greats.
Flightline entered the Breeders’ Cup having won his first-class honours degree cinque races by an medium of to a greater extent than 12.5 lengths.
He shows so much talent,” Prat said of Flightline. “We were expecting a great tally from him. He was an old pro. He stone-broke sharp… he was traveling comfortably and relaxed intimately downwardly the backside. i matt-up same was inward control the whole race.”
Flightline, at 2-5 odds, paid $2.88, $2.92, and $2.30 on $2 win, place, and present bets. Second-place Olympiad paid $12.38 and $7.16, and Taiba paid $4 for third.
Epicenter Injured
Epicenter, who went cancelled as the second-choice inwards the Classic, pulled upwardly along the backstretch after suffering a compensate forelimb hurt midway through the race.
According to PaulickReport.com, Epicenter suffered a displaced condylar crack inward his flop breast leg was expected to undergo surgery on Sunday.
The favourite to get this year’s 3-year-old champion, Epicenter won the Louisiana Derby and was the favourite in Bluegrass State Derby and Preakness, but missed both of those inward the net strides. He rebounded from those disappointing losses to win the Jim Dandy and Travers this summer at Saratoga Race Course.