January's national handle numbers up 11.5% as Turfway Park posts gains

Total handle on January's Thoroughbred races in the United States January increased 11.5% over the same month a year ago. Fueled in particular by bumps at Gulfstream Park, Aqueduct and Turfway Park, betting reached $865,486,325 compared to $776,177,325 in 2019.

Gulfstream jumped 17.26% in handle despite carding 19 fewer races this year (238 to 257). Santa Anita and Aqueduct rounded out the top three tracks in terms of total handle.

Turfway Park saw the largest increase of handle in terms of year-over-year percentage, up 46.64% from last January following a sale and purse boosts thanks to Churchill Downs Inc. Betting rose nearly $10 million to $23,537,477, ranking the northern Kentucky circuit near the Top 10 nationally.

Below, a look at January 2020's top tracks by handle:

Santa Anita, with fewer races and horses in them, still ranked second but saw its handle dip 18.99% year over year. Speaking of field size, Oaklawn Park was the only track in the United States to boast an average in the double digits for the second January in a row at 10.3 per race.