Midland: Turfway Park is the ‘A’ track for payouts
People in the racing industry often talk about tracks being "A," "B" or "C" tracks based on the quality of racing. With purses on the rise thanks to funding provided by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund, Turfway Park now offers maiden special weight races for $70,000 and higher quality racing every year. But no matter where you rank Turfway for quality, for horseplayers Turfway ranks at the top for field size and payouts. And just glancing at the opening week of Turfway Park entries, they are averaging 13.1, 13, 12.3 and 13.4 horses per race.
Technically, the boutique Kentucky Downs meet boasts a larger field size over its seven-day meet. But that's tough to compare to Turfway, which is scheduled to run 72 days from Nov. 29 to March 30. Post time is 5:55 p.m. EST on Wednesday through Saturdays, with the only exception being 12:45 p.m. on March 23 for the Jeff Ruby Stakes day.
Based on 2023 stats to date, Turfway Park ranks as the no. 1 or 2 track for payoffs in North America in nearly every type of wager. Also worth noting, Turfway offers a player-friendly takeout of 14 percent for the pick 4 and 15 percent for the pick 5 and Single-6 jackpot. Win, place and show takeout is 17.5 percent and all other wagers are 22 percent.
Looking at the average $2 win payoff and field size, we can see Turfway Park ranking no. 2 right, behind Kentucky Downs. It is also the only track in North America where the favorite has won less than 30 percent of the time in 2023. Also notable is that five of the top six tracks are in Kentucky.
Looking at the average single-race, or vertical, payouts, Turfway ranks as the no. 2 track for exacta and trifecta payouts and no. 1 for superfecta payouts.
For multi-race, or horizontal, payouts, here are the top 25 tracks ranked by highest pick 5 payout average, as well as their averages for doubles, pick 3s and pick 4s. We can see that Turfway Park ranks as the no. 1 track for pick 3 and pick 4 payouts, the no. 2 track for daily double payouts and no. 5 for pick 5 payouts.
The opening night card attracted full fields of 12 in all nine races. If that is any indication, this should be a banner meet for Turfway Park.
For reference, below is the complete list of 2023 averages by track for exacta, trifecta and superfecta payouts and pools. Smaller tracks with less than 100 races or certain pool size were excluded.
2023 Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta payouts/pool averages by track
| Track | Races | Field size | Ex pool | $1 Ex | Tri pool | $1 Tri | Super pool | $1 Super |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KD | 76 | 10.4 | $247,772 | $74 | $134,365 | $601 | $85,973 | $4,833 |
| TP | 399 | 9.8 | $73,463 | $69 | $52,204 | $579 | $39,601 | $5,088 |
| CD | 575 | 8.2 | $258,934 | $42 | $190,571 | $421 | $96,983 | $3,561 |
| KEE | 302 | 9.1 | $285,730 | $53 | $163,675 | $410 | $96,946 | $3,530 |
| BAQ | 246 | 7.8 | $180,873 | $41 | $93,320 | $409 | $58,441 | $3,310 |
| OP | 574 | 8.7 | $166,397 | $50 | $104,158 | $381 | $71,530 | $2,750 |
| LAD | 450 | 8.1 | $22,050 | $47 | $13,363 | $336 | $9,283 | $2,593 |
| ELP | 353 | 7.8 | $75,687 | $45 | $44,049 | $325 | $27,725 | $2,039 |
| DMR | 373 | 8.5 | $200,460 | $40 | $125,250 | $317 | $84,312 | $2,333 |
| SUN | 243 | 8.0 | $24,376 | $37 | $16,285 | $315 | $14,043 | $1,734 |
| RP | 506 | 8.0 | $28,377 | $41 | $18,982 | $314 | $14,738 | $1,536 |
| ALB | 164 | 8.8 | $11,981 | $44 | $9,530 | $297 | $5,346 | $2,285 |
| CNL | 250 | 8.3 | $74,603 | $40 | $43,890 | $295 | $31,087 | $2,207 |
| IND | 983 | 8.0 | $62,174 | $40 | $41,102 | $290 | $29,456 | $1,655 |
| SAR | 406 | 7.7 | $455,426 | $38 | $218,327 | $261 | $114,406 | $1,795 |
| WO | 1074 | 8.1 | $123,104 | $39 | $79,918 | $254 | $54,655 | $1,945 |
| LRL | 1106 | 7.7 | $75,831 | $39 | $45,556 | $246 | $31,208 | $1,901 |
| PRX | 1391 | 7.5 | $62,125 | $38 | $36,493 | $239 | $22,195 | $1,680 |
| EVD | 528 | 8.1 | $48,864 | $39 | $32,800 | $227 | $22,637 | $1,434 |
| DED | 562 | 8.2 | $39,917 | $36 | $30,462 | $226 | $22,555 | $1,482 |
| AQU | 672 | 7.2 | $187,879 | $35 | $105,447 | $225 | $64,662 | $1,179 |
| PID | 633 | 6.8 | $20,505 | $31 | $12,375 | $217 | $7,639 | $1,168 |
| GP | 1647 | 7.7 | $172,261 | $36 | $100,919 | $213 | $66,415 | $1,283 |
| FG | 527 | 7.5 | $75,887 | $34 | $46,135 | $212 | $30,306 | $1,636 |
| MTH | 504 | 7.7 | $111,715 | $37 | $60,645 | $208 | $34,338 | $1,305 |
| CT | 1237 | 7.7 | $48,196 | $34 | $35,323 | $201 | $28,545 | $1,252 |
| TAM | 689 | 7.7 | $111,222 | $36 | $68,505 | $197 | $42,857 | $1,143 |
| RUI | 146 | 7.7 | $14,373 | $37 | $12,214 | $197 | $8,474 | $1,260 |
| MVR | 656 | 7.4 | $33,518 | $30 | $23,546 | $183 | $16,373 | $1,046 |
| CBY | 396 | 6.5 | $21,050 | $25 | $17,904 | $177 | $9,983 | $1,839 |
| FL | 714 | 6.9 | $44,955 | $32 | $29,015 | $175 | $18,832 | $855 |
| SA | 817 | 7.3 | $181,899 | $31 | $119,360 | $174 | $77,915 | $1,047 |
| PIM | 214 | 7.4 | $187,076 | $34 | $135,518 | $174 | $78,949 | $1,201 |
| BEL | 368 | 7.7 | $338,505 | $31 | $203,490 | $170 | $117,115 | $1,017 |
| PEN | 833 | 6.8 | $30,916 | $33 | $19,431 | $169 | $14,175 | $913 |
| CTM | 268 | 7.0 | $14,490 | $36 | $9,840 | $169 | $6,984 | $1,061 |
| BTP | 749 | 6.3 | $18,732 | $23 | $12,403 | $150 | $8,498 | $727 |
| DEL | 680 | 6.8 | $61,160 | $28 | $40,701 | $149 | $26,893 | $821 |
| TUP | 601 | 7.0 | $42,069 | $27 | $32,099 | $141 | $24,355 | $809 |
| MNR | 886 | 7.0 | $31,456 | $30 | $21,645 | $138 | $12,877 | $730 |
| HAW | 527 | 6.8 | $41,048 | $28 | $27,050 | $138 | $19,394 | $630 |
| PRM | 556 | 6.3 | $12,988 | $27 | $9,489 | $137 | $6,580 | $899 |
| EMD | 431 | 6.5 | $27,496 | $25 | $20,471 | $137 | $13,334 | $572 |
| TDN | 808 | 6.4 | $26,579 | $24 | $16,576 | $136 | $12,488 | $620 |
| FAN | 454 | 6.6 | $18,728 | $26 | $13,493 | $134 | $6,450 | $691 |
| LA | 127 | 6.3 | $20,295 | $27 | $18,459 | $125 | $18,072 | $416 |
| ASD | 350 | 6.7 | $32,209 | $24 | $24,507 | $122 | $15,737 | $684 |
| GG | 964 | 6.6 | $54,846 | $26 | $42,070 | $117 | $32,250 | $567 |
| WRD | 248 | 6.8 | $20,750 | $23 | $15,003 | $116 | $11,637 | $753 |
| LRC | 130 | 6.0 | $47,942 | $21 | $33,004 | $115 | $28,920 | $662 |
| PLN | 101 | 6.0 | $34,298 | $21 | $22,415 | $96 | $18,333 | $540 |
| FE | 302 | 6.4 | $35,700 | $21 | $25,744 | $92 | $15,952 | $450 |
| HST | 318 | 5.7 | $14,753 | $19 | $12,077 | $79 | $9,524 | $454 |
For reference, below is the complete list of 2023 averages by track for daily double, pick 3, pick 4 and pick 5 payouts and pools. Smaller tracks with less than 100 races or certain pool size were excluded.
2023 Double, P3, P4, P5 payouts/pool averages by track
| Track | DD pool | $1 DD | P3 pool | $1 P3 | P4 pool | $1 P4 | P5 pool | $1 P5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TP | $16,214 | $69 | $30,088 | $603 | $105,013 | $5,375 | $157,492 | $18,257 |
| KD | $59,032 | $73 | $83,713 | $552 | $236,725 | $4,696 | $552,447 | $30,215 |
| KEE | $73,965 | $57 | $104,391 | $570 | $352,824 | $3,454 | $667,288 | $24,515 |
| CD | $51,741 | $46 | $67,040 | $349 | $202,849 | $2,978 | $398,860 | $24,088 |
| WO | $20,023 | $45 | $28,065 | $287 | $110,816 | $2,962 | $133,245 | $13,723 |
| AQU | $51,431 | $39 | $49,922 | $323 | $151,978 | $2,880 | $320,241 | $13,996 |
| SUN | $6,257 | $82 | $5,687 | $553 | $13,717 | $2,859 | $11,578 | $9,900 |
| OP | $28,731 | $49 | $37,891 | $370 | $130,858 | $2,606 | $208,505 | $19,563 |
| CT | $9,040 | $40 | $12,105 | $295 | $52,306 | $2,506 | $64,872 | $6,519 |
| PRX | $17,217 | $38 | $19,538 | $285 | $53,193 | $2,420 | $0 | P5 jackpot |
| TAM | $17,458 | $40 | $21,750 | $273 | $61,273 | $2,345 | $86,494 | $9,362 |
| MVR | $5,058 | $37 | $9,310 | $259 | $24,015 | $2,311 | $23,083 | $4,655 |
| MTH | $16,793 | $43 | $17,549 | $281 | $49,143 | $2,243 | $87,028 | $11,900 |
| CNL | $10,484 | $48 | $11,972 | $361 | $35,528 | $2,162 | $61,730 | $13,574 |
| LRL | $9,577 | $40 | $10,114 | $321 | $18,630 | $2,153 | $38,807 | $9,290 |
| IND | $9,972 | $45 | $15,493 | $301 | $38,087 | $1,989 | $77,751 | $9,021 |
| RP | $14,184 | $52 | $15,920 | $415 | $51,850 | $1,955 | $65,333 | $8,604 |
| DMR | $59,552 | $41 | $92,226 | $294 | $389,075 | $1,816 | $805,355 | $14,814 |
| EVD | $6,914 | $42 | $9,894 | $274 | $29,720 | $1,788 | $29,659 | $4,769 |
| GG | $13,359 | $32 | $14,570 | $176 | $97,585 | $1,764 | $72,757 | $6,045 |
| LAD | $2,969 | $42 | $3,836 | $243 | $12,942 | $1,634 | $8,618 | $5,668 |
| ELP | $14,984 | $38 | $18,742 | $302 | $48,468 | $1,607 | $115,076 | $9,845 |
| SAR | $127,605 | $39 | $127,260 | $244 | $382,501 | $1,533 | $887,095 | $14,805 |
| GP | $35,468 | $35 | $47,004 | $222 | $142,756 | $1,503 | $272,610 | $7,912 |
| SA | $52,586 | $36 | $71,862 | $210 | $327,468 | $1,480 | $496,707 | $9,550 |
| FAN | $2,728 | $32 | $3,264 | $177 | $6,380 | $1,457 | $0 | $0 |
| DED | $6,194 | $39 | $8,932 | $201 | $25,941 | $1,450 | $23,207 | $5,014 |
| HAW | $5,697 | $31 | $6,797 | $183 | $18,086 | $1,386 | $16,615 | $1,614 |
| MNR | $12,890 | $36 | $17,342 | $163 | $50,306 | $1,380 | $61,606 | $5,141 |
| LRC | $17,507 | $27 | $27,195 | $236 | $170,165 | $1,335 | $166,341 | $3,483 |
| RUI | $1,571 | $39 | $1,339 | $340 | $3,166 | $1,304 | $0 | $0 |
| CTM | $2,635 | $47 | $4,248 | $258 | $17,571 | $1,280 | $0 | P5 jackpot |
| PID | $3,745 | $28 | $5,172 | $194 | $11,531 | $1,274 | $14,147 | $4,177 |
| FL | $9,459 | $32 | $11,301 | $245 | $29,661 | $1,267 | $34,869 | $5,080 |
| PRM | $2,406 | $34 | $3,742 | $238 | $11,378 | $1,266 | $0 | P5 jackpot |
| FG | $13,263 | $33 | $16,435 | $207 | $47,437 | $1,261 | $78,830 | $4,986 |
| PEN | $6,163 | $38 | $8,324 | $245 | $24,899 | $1,236 | $18,987 | $3,521 |
| PIM | $33,825 | $32 | $38,493 | $172 | $106,015 | $1,139 | $203,043 | $9,715 |
| TUP | $7,296 | $30 | $12,092 | $183 | $34,896 | $1,133 | $49,109 | $5,040 |
| BAQ | $53,782 | $29 | $50,343 | $144 | $152,195 | $1,040 | $356,523 | $5,078 |
| HST | $3,382 | $23 | $4,279 | $155 | $18,889 | $1,034 | $11,257 | $1,256 |
| DEL | $9,808 | $31 | $11,251 | $182 | $19,063 | $1,021 | $33,075 | $4,287 |
| FE | $6,244 | $25 | $7,758 | $147 | $21,989 | $967 | $21,719 | $2,713 |
| EMD | $4,519 | $32 | $7,408 | $212 | $19,599 | $946 | $31,862 | $4,219 |
| BEL | $87,929 | $30 | $90,586 | $157 | $290,341 | $929 | $558,834 | $7,123 |
| ALB | $1,975 | $32 | $1,354 | $231 | $5,846 | $929 | $0 | $0 |
| TDN | $7,018 | $22 | $4,966 | $150 | $14,847 | $876 | $11,945 | $1,862 |
| ASD | $13,010 | $35 | $15,208 | $117 | $97,691 | $856 | $0 | P5 jackpot |
| WRD | $3,424 | $30 | $4,884 | $124 | $14,074 | $783 | $11,983 | $1,692 |
| BTP | $4,044 | $20 | $3,794 | $126 | $7,098 | $780 | $6,987 | $1,826 |
| PLN | $6,543 | $29 | $9,658 | $149 | $41,294 | $772 | $55,012 | $7,018 |
| CBY | $3,684 | $26 | $7,300 | $149 | $28,927 | $497 | $67,853 | $9,026 |