How packed was the Kentucky Derby? Here's how many were at the track

Bailey Loosemore, Louisville Courier Journal
·1 min read
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Derby attendees crowd the infield at Churchill Downs.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Just more than 147,000 people gathered at Churchill Downs on Saturday, where they witnessed the second-biggest long shot to ever win the Kentucky Derby when Rich Strike crossed the finish line.

The attendance was down from a projection of 170,000 the company made in March. But it was a vast increase over 2021, when 51,838 attended the race during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

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Attendance at the Derby peaked in 2015 with a record 170,513 fans and declined each of the next four years, with 150,729 people visiting the track in 2019.

Wagering, however, continued to rise this year with bets totaling $273.8 million across all Kentucky Derby Day programs — a 9% increase over 2019's record of $250.9 million, according to a Sunday press release.

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Wagering on the Derby race, alone, totaled $179 million, up 8% from 2019's record of $166.5 million.

"We are deeply grateful to all of the fans of the Kentucky Derby around the world who once again made this an amazing and memorable experience," Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen said in the release.

Reporter Jason Frakes contributed.

Reach reporter Bailey Loosemore at bloosemore@courier-journal.com, 502-582-4646 or on Twitter @bloosemore. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: https://www.courier-journal.com/baileyl.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Derby attendance continues to fall in 2022