Officials at Churchill Downs reported that all-sources wagering on Saturday’s Kentucky Derby program was $288.7 million, easily surpassing the previous record of $273.8 million set just last year. All-sources wagering on the Kentucky Derby alone was $188.7 million, bettering the previous mark of $179 million, also achieved last year. All-sources handle for the entire week leading up to Saturday’s Run for the Roses was $412 million, beating last year’s record $391.8 million.
This year’s Derby featured a field of 18 and was attended by an announced crowd of 150,335. It was the first renewal of the race to feature Churchill’s new ‘First Turn Experience,” a grandstand of its own on the clubhouse turn.
“We were thrilled to debut our new First Turn Experience, a one-of-a-kind premium accommodation with exclusive views of the horses and the racetrack from the rail of the first turn, as we commemorated the 50th anniversary of Secretariat’s victory in the Run for the Roses,” said Bill Carstanjen, CEO of CDI. “We expect the Kentucky Derby Week Adjusted EBITDA to reflect a new record with $14 to $16 million of growth over the prior record set last year. We will now accelerate our focus on our year-long celebration in preparation for the 150th Kentucky Derby in May 2024.”
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