Good thread and discussion.
This was my fourth Belmont in person, and second non-Triple Crown chance Belmont. In this day, when 85,000 people show up to the track, and you figure maybe 30,000 REALLY know what's going on (the class of the races, all the players in the bit races, etc)...that is a special day.
I watched races from many different places throughout the day, and a few things I noticed.
- The crowd was INTO it, and you knew most of them really didn't know what was up. Spontaneously cheering during post parades, every race went off with a magnificent degree of excitement. A TON of young people there, many enjoying the day out and the atmosphere.
- It is so much easier to be involved in the racing at Belmont than the other two TC venues, and that is so easy to see. If you are in the backyard, it's tough to avoid the paddock, and after that, you are either in the grandstand or on the apron.
- Almost all the races had very good finishes, and the crowd got into that even more.
- Steve uses the word "magical," and it is, to a degree, very understandable. There were a few times when I found myself incredibly surprised by the crescendo of excitement in the crowd. Everyone I saw really seemed to want to be there, and enjoy the day. I'll Have Another not racing may have dimmed the numbers, but tough to say many didn't walk away satisfied with the experience.
- I was walking to the paddock for the Manhattan, and the line for the ATM in the 3rd floor grandstand was literally 40 deep, when I got to the clubhouse escalator down, a different ATM line was maybe 20 deep. Maybe they were just buying drinks with that cash, but who cares.
Saratoga, Del Mar, and Keeneland have created an atmosphere of an all-day, every-day experience at their meets. Their meets are limited, festival-like experiences. They treasure fashion, partying, fun, and every time I've been there, seen scads of under 35s having a great day out - they are enjoying the full experience, and two of those tracks are actual destinations, the other being in a town built around the thoroughbred.
Every other track on this continent is up against it when creating an experience, but many tracks do it well for a day or three, and that's it. That's the hurdle.
I thought Saturday was an incredibly enjoyable day, and I found myself surprised and heartened by the experience.
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