The problem may be in defining track attendance as a measure to whether the sport is successful or not. Only $8 million of the $54 million bet on the Belmont card was wagered at Belmont. On line wagering (Youbet, Brisbet etc) allows race fans the opportunity to wager and watch races via the computer without ever showing up on a turnstile count.
Many people neither have the time to spend a day at the track nor live in close proximity to one. Thus they are relegated to wagering on and following the sport on the internet. For racing to be successful in the future it must recognize that there is a "new breed" of fans and that attendance at tracks will never return to the glory days.
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