After a tough September, wagering on U.S. Thoroughbred races rebounded in October, showing a healthy gain compared to last year even as overall 2025 totals remain slightly behind 2024 levels.

According to data released by Equibase, wagering on U.S. races reached $867.9 million in October 2025, an 8.99% increase from the $796.3 million wagered in October 2024. The strong monthly figure came despite a 2.6% drop in race days (304 versus 312) and fewer total races and starts.

The combination of fewer events and higher betting totals resulted in a robust 11.9% increase in average wagering per race day, which climbed to $2.86 million, up from $2.55 million a year earlier.

Purse money also improved in October. Available purses rose 8.13% to $115.5 million, while purses paid were up 7.59% to $109.5 million. The average available purse per race day increased nearly 11%, reaching $379,899.

Field sizes remained steady, with the average of 7.69 starters per race down only slightly from 7.73 a year ago.

For the first 10 months of the year, national wagering totaled $9.55 billion, a 1.19% decline from $9.66 billion through October 2024. Despite fewer race days, wagering efficiency continued to improve, with average wagering per race day up 3.53% to $3.04 million.

U.S. racetracks have conducted 3,141 race days so far in 2025, down 4.56% from the same period last year, while the total number of races has declined 4.19% to 25,541. The number of starts has also fallen 3.79% to 189,278, though the average field size of 7.41 is fractionally higher than last year’s 7.38.

Available purses for the year to date are down 1.4% to $1.09 billion, with purses paid decreasing 1.57% to $1.04 billion. However, average available purses per race day improved 3.31%, reaching $347,339, continuing a positive trend for daily purse strength even as total opportunities have contracted.

October’s strong wagering and purse figures provided a welcome boost after softer results in September, when wagering was down nearly 6% versus a year ago.