A great day for the sport.

[GenuineRisk]

Originally Posted by Thunder Gulch

It was a good day of racing, but let's be honest about the big picture. Yes 88,000 showed up, but it would have been 120,000 so off 30%+. I suspect the off track wagering, and television numbers suffered similar fates. Good day- not so good weekend if you look at it from what was expected Thursday.

I think 95,000 to 100,000 would be a more likely guess. Smarty Jones' Belmont was a perfect blend of an undefeated horse, a small time owner/trainer/jockey and a geographically proximate fan base that could get to NYC via mass transit.

The great thing about yesterday was that so many people didn't change their plans after IHA scratched- they still went to the track. The joy and sense of fun was palpable.