Mo Donegal’s win Saturday in 154th running of the Belmont Stakes was the highlight of a day that generated an all-sources handle of $98,766,906 across 13 races, the New York Racing Association reports. That number represents a drop-off of more than 12% from last year’s handle of $112,725,278, which was an NYRA record for a non-Triple Crown year.
Notably, 2022 was also a non-Triple Crown year after the owner of long-shot Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike opted out of the Preakness Stakes, and Preakness winner Early Voting didn’t run the Derby or Belmont. Epicenter, the Derby and Preakness favorite who finished second in both, also didn’t run at Belmont.
Per the NYRA release, betting on the Belmont Stakes dropped more than $10M from last year's $60.5M to $50.2 this year – a 17% drop.
— Steve Bittenbender (@CasinoOrgSteveB) June 12, 2022
Could all of that have played a part in why interest in Belmont Stakes Day betting was way down despite a paid attendance of more than four-times the capacity-restricted event of 2021? Maybe. But I wouldn’t overlook inflation either, as soaring prices have people protecting their money a little more.
The all-sources handle for the main race, carded as Race 11, was $50,248,624 – down from $60,459,330 a year ago. Over the course of the entire three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, which featured 33 races, more than $127 million in handle was generated from all sources. That number is down from about $142 million in 2021.
