I'd say the game of horse racing itself is based on differing opinions. In wagering, we do so against other horseplayers and not the house itself. When people put down their own cash on an opinion, they must be fairly passionate about it. So when you get a bunch of horseplayers together natuarlly you're going to have arguements on difference of opinion: horses, jockeys, trainers, owners, etc. I don't see that as venom. It's not pro-choice vs. pro-lifers in here, as I think most of us here are rational enough to know it's a horse arguement and not a life and death matter. In fact railbirds, at the end of the day, seem to share a bond like no other sport's followers do. Most of the horseplayers and people in the game I've come across are high-strung people. It's a game of being RIGHT more times than being wrong. So when you get a bunch of high-strung individuals who believe themselves to be right, it's not the same landscape as a Sunday drive in the country.