Churchill Downs nearly triples handle as business booms sans fans

Kevin Flanery, president of Churchill Downs Racetrack, said Saturday that races without spectators under the Twin Spires are “something we’ll be talking about for generations.”

While the few people necessary to have on site are hearing horses and hoofbeats — and just about only that — handle numbers evidenced a sizable audience taking in the races from home amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to track publicity, $14,278,726 was bet into opening Saturday's 11-race card, up 183.7 percent from the $5,032,253 handled on the comparable date in 2019.

That was even with some fields diminished in size after overnight showers washed opening day off the turf, and without the presence of a stakes feature.

“It’s unprecedented to be racing without fans, but things are going very smoothly,” Flanery said. “I want to thank the horsemen and everybody for their cooperation. Everybody’s trying to do the right thing, and that’s going to make it successful.”

As a highlight Saturday, the champion filly Monomoy Girl returned from a layoff dating back to November of 2019, winning with relative ease in allowance optional claiming company. Churchill had a national television audience newly tuning in on Fox Sports 1 and 2, where the Spring Meet will air in lieu of TVG (Churchill’s races continue to go on TVG 2).

Churchill Downs races again Sunday — all post times at the meet are 1 p.m. ET — then continues on a Thursday through Sunday basis until June 27.

“Without fans, it’s pretty flat,” said Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, who ran horses at Oaklawn Park since the pandemic forced racing to go behind closed doors.

“…We’d like to have the fans and everything and have it the way we used to have it, but having said that, we’re very, very fortunate and appreciative we got the date open. We’re getting in with our horses. We’re getting a chance to make a living.”