Fans attending the Kentucky Derby [4] this year totaled 170,513, a new record besting 2012’s previous record high of 165,307.
And everybody came with betting cash.
Wagering on Kentucky Derby day, from all sources, totaled $194.3 million, again beating the previous 2012 record of $187 million.
Betting on the Kentucky Derby race itself was up 7 percent over 2014, reaching $137.9 million and beating the previous record – again from 2012 – of $133.1 million.
Churchill Downs reports that it returned $154.3 million to bettors on the Kentucky Derby day race program. Purses earned from the Kentucky Derby day race program approximated $10.7 million that will be paid out to horsemen during the remainder of the 2015 race meets.
Photo: Kentucky Derby