Horse racing in Canada by the numbers

TORONTO – More than 40 racehorses have died in an Ontario stable fire. Here are some facts about horse racing in Canada.

26 per cent: amount horse racing contributes to the overall economic impact of Canada’s equestrian industry

43: estimated number of horses killed in the fire at Classy Lane Stables

58 per cent: percentage of active racehorses based in Ontario

27,310: number of races run in Canada in 2010

45,000: number of horses active in the racing sector

47,000: number of full-time-equivalent jobs created by Canada’s national horse racing industry

$267,536,533: amount paid out in purses for races run in Ontario in 2010

$312,103,015: amount paid out in purses across Canada in 2010

$1.04 billion: amount of money wagered on horse racing in Ontario in 2010

$1.45 billion: amount wagered on horse racing across Canada in 2010

$4.5 billion: percentage of Canada’s horse racing economic impact that comes from Ontario

$5.7 billion: estimated annual amount that horse racing contributes to Canada’s economy

Source: Equine Canada, 2011 report