| NUMBER OF RACES | return |
| Curtailed racing in a number of states and cancellation of the Les Bois Park meet in Idaho, which carded 263 races in 2008, resulted in a 1.9% decline in the number of Thoroughbred races run in North America in 2009. Nearly 300 fewer races were held in both California and Kentucky in 2009 while Texas offered 229 fewer races. States showing the largest year-over-year increase in races in 2009 were Pennsylvania (+158 races), Louisiana (+150 races), West Virginia (+144 races) and Indiana (+122 races). | ||||||
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Number of Races North American Races by Decade | ||||||
| Year | United States |
Percent Change |
Canada | Puerto Rico |
Total | Total Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | ||||||
| 1989 | 74,071 | 4.3 | 7,329 | 1,308 | 82,708 | 3.9 |
| 1990 | 72,664 | -1.9 | 7,307 | 1,308 | 81,279 | -1.7 |
| 1991 | 70,994 | -2.3 | 7,614 | 1,433 | 80,041 | -1.5 |
| 1992 | 70,393 | -0.8 | 7,319 | 1,537 | 79,249 | -1.0 |
| 1993 | 65,354 | -7.2 | 6,988 | 1,627 | 73,969 | -6.7 |
| 1994 | 64,118 | -1.9 | 6,581 | 1,645 | 72,344 | -2.2 |
| 1995 | 61,969 | -3.4 | 6,279 | 1,710 | 69,958 | -3.3 |
| 1996 | 58,259 | -6.0 | 6,129 | 1,920 | 66,308 | -5.2 |
| 1997 | 57,832 | -0.7 | 5,655 | 1,934 | 65,421 | -1.3 |
| 1998 | 55,894 | -3.4 | 5,399 | 1,619 | 62,912 | -3.8 |
| 1999 | 54,644 | -2.2 | 5,538 | 1,891 | 62,073 | -1.3 |
| 2000 | 55,486 | 1.5 | 5,386 | 2,005 | 62,877 | 1.3 |
| 2001 | 55,127 | -0.6 | 5,611 | 2,096 | 62,834 | -0.1 |
| 2002 | 54,304 | -1.5 | 5,592 | 2,037 | 61,933 | -1.4 |
| 2003 | 53,503 | -1.5 | 5,498 | 1,890 | 60,891 | -1.7 |
| 2004 | 53,595 | 0.2 | 5,263 | 1,934 | 60,792 | -0.2 |
| 2005 | 52,257 | -2.5 | 5,238 | 1,948 | 59,443 | -2.2 |
| 2006 | 51,668 | -1.1 | 5,234 | 1,949 | 58,851 | -1.0 |
| 2007 | 51,304 | -0.7 | 5,057 | 1,875 | 58,236 | -1.0 |
| 2008 | 50,119 | -2.3 | 4,950 | 1,905 | 56,974 | -2.2 |
| 2009 | 49,368 | -1.5 | 4,753 | 1,863 | 55,984 | -1.7 |
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Sources: Equibase Company LLC and Hipodromo Camarero |
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