US wagering rises in September but remains down for 2026

A smaller US thoroughbred racing programme generated more wagering in September, but the monthly rebound left turnover below last year’s level over the first nine months of 2026.

Equibase’s figures, released on Monday, show September wagering rose 4.33 per cent to US$769.2 million despite fewer race days and races.

September’s increase from US$737.3 million a year earlier ended four consecutive months of year-on-year declines.

Race days fell to 329 from 354, while the number of races declined to 2,612 from 2,786. Average wagering per race day increased 12.26 per cent to US$2.338 million, from US$2.083 million a year earlier.

Saratoga staged six September race days, compared with one in 2025, with Labor Day falling on September 7 rather than September 1. Del Mar held five race days during the month, up from four a year earlier.

The September increase was not enough to bring wagering back to last year’s level: turnover through September reached US$8.33 billion, down 4.03 per cent from US$8.68 billion in the corresponding period of 2025.

Third-quarter wagering totalled US$2.805 billion, down 3.05 per cent from US$2.893 billion in 2025. The quarter’s race days fell from 1,125 to 1,079, while the number of races dropped from 8,871 to 8,437.

The figures include wagering on US races pooled worldwide, not only bets placed within the United States.

Race days across the first nine months declined to 2,754 from 2,837, with 22,306 races run against 23,046 in the same period of 2025.

Average field size was almost unchanged for September at 7.17, compared with 7.19. The year-to-date average fell 2.68 per cent to 7.18, from 7.38 last year.

Available purses increased 3.82 per cent in September to US$133.4 million, compared with US$128.5 million in the same month of 2025.

Year-to-date available purses were US$975.25 million, down 0.03 per cent from US$975.53 million. Average available purses per race day rose 2.98 per cent to US$354,122, while paid purses edged up 0.06 per cent to US$932.1 million.