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It’s quite difficult to gauge the immediate effect of the ongoing dispute with Kentucky horsemen on the Churchill Downs’ spring meet, as handle on racing from the opening weekend of the Louisville track was down only slightly from 2007, according to one data source.

That is right people, less $

Churchill’s handle, not including separate-pool wagering, dropped about 5.5% to $18,141,245 opening weekend compared with $19,202,048 in 2007, according to The Jockey Club Information Systems. Separate-pool wagering, which often includes bets from certain international entities, generally accounts for between 3%-7% of total handle.

Consider this Churchill Downs Inc. has invested $100 million in advance deposit wagering for a reason: The company believes it’s the major growth channel for pari-mutuel wagering, as well as a means to drive traffic to the racetrack, CDI president and chief executive officer Bob Evans said.

Evans, the luncheon speaker during the first day of the Kentucky International Equine Summit in Lexington April 28, outlined plans by CDI to use the Internet and ADW, also known as account wagering, to increase handle and public interest in Thoroughbred racing. His comments came as CDI is in a dispute with horsemen over how much revenue ADW should contribute to purses.

The Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Group, in an attempt to generate more purse money from ADW, advocates that racetracks, purses, and ADW operators each get one-third of the revenue.

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