Total wagering beat the previous US record for total betting on an individual event and a single day of races that had been established in the 2003 renewal of the ‘Run for the Roses’.
Fans who gathered at Churchill Downs and at racetracks and simulcast outlets throughout the US wagered a record $99,348,706 on the Derby, which was won by Smarty Jones.
The wagering total for the Kentucky Derby itself rose by nearly 13 percent from the 2003 total of $87,968,037.
Total betting on the 12-race Kentucky Derby Day card at Churchill Downs rose by nearly two percent to $142,775,857 from the previous US record of $140,379,426 wagered on a 12-race Derby Day program in 2003.
Poor weather at the track saw attendances slip six percent, with a crowd of 140,054, but organisers said it was the best turn out for a wet race.
Betting on the Kentucky Derby and the 12-race Derby Day racing card broke new records this year, according to track and race operator Churchill Downs.
