thing is, the 'need' for a tc winner to save the sport is a falsehood. now, had MTB managed to win it all, he may have helped a bit-but most years, you have a colt who would win-how would having a horse win the tc and get whisked off to stud help the sport at all? it wouldn't. the press needs to quit baking this up as some kind of last ditch effort to save the sport each year. the sport isn't on life support. if, every year, the sport is dying-it makes me wonder how we've survived since affirmed won the belmont. it's certainly the longest death i've ever witnessed. yes, attendance is down. but what about handle? why do we read so much about tracks going down...but you don't see much about tracks like oaklawn, which had a great year this year-and boosted purses? twice.
if you want to grow the sport, take your kids...your family, and your friends. do like i did yesterday, get others to watch, show some excitement. talk it up. hell, i've got folks watching hockey that never did before-and they ask me about horse racing now. i think i'm getting a group together to go to la downs in a couple months.
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