Kentucky's historical horse racing venues generated $91 million in revenue during September 2026, an increase of 11% from the same month last year. The gain remained strong even after accounting for a recently opened property.
CDC Gaming calculated that revenue rose 9.2% when seven-month-old Marshall Yards was excluded from the comparison. Churchill Downs, which operates eight venues in the state, posted same-store growth of 5.9%.
Derby City remained the largest venue but was broadly flat, rising 0.5% year over year. Oak Grove produced $14.9 million, up 11.5%, while its 1,209 machines averaged $409 in daily revenue each.
The monthly trend is consistent with Churchill Downs' third-quarter report. The operator said revenue from its Kentucky historical racing machine venues increased by $11 million for the quarter, led by a $7 million gain from southwestern Kentucky.
Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming provides the state's current pari-mutuel reporting dashboard. The September figures show that established venues contributed most of the growth, while the newer Marshall Yards property added another layer to the statewide total.
