Oh no, I'd love to hear about how the kids from Glen Burnie were spending $40 per head by your estimate on top of the $60 ticket price on memorabilia and refreshments, let alone betting. You've clearly never been in the Preakness infield before, nor is math your strong suit. But yeah, I'm ignorant and prejudiced.
And from what year to what year did the Preakness attendance decline by 50k?
ETA: a
Thoroughbred Times article detailing how Preakness attendance has never dipped more than 35-ishk in the last dozen years. Moreover, the article also discusses how handle was down in 2010 despite a substantial increase in attendance. So yeah, I'm sure those Baltimore County kids are spending a ton on things other than $20 all you can drink beers when they show up at the track.
http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/nat...ss-stakes.aspx