I marvel that there were 12 owners (well, since Frank Stronach is one of them, really 11) who were willing to put up the required $1 million fee to purchase the right to enter a horse in this race. For the owners of Arrogate and Chrome it would have been a no-brainer, but once you get beyond those two, the economics of entering get much more difficult. I think that every entrant will receive a minimum of $200,000 out of the purse, and also get a share of the profits from the wagering handle (and perhaps the gate receipts as well?), but it is difficult to see how an owner could break even unless his horse finished at least 3rd or 4th. Given that the big two could likely occupy two of those slots, that means most of the other entrants will incur a net loss. I share your concern that they might not want to do that on a repeat basis.
I get the impression that racing fans are getting gouged by the prices being charged - $50 for parking, and $100 for general admission is very steep for a race day that really has only 1 significant race, with a good but not great undercard. I wonder what the on track attendance is going to be at those prices.
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