I was Wrong
When I woke up and turned on HRTV and watched the first race and saw the sparse infield crowd my feelings were this is a disaster. Then I read that attendance was DOWN 35k, but wagering was UP! For years I always thought racetrack gouging and lack of customer service is a reason racing has suffered. But I was wrong. I thought the MJC was ridiculous changing the tradition of the infield, but the infield isn't needed. When I saw Gulfstream 2 years ago, I was appaled because I loved the "old" Gulfstream. As it turns out, I was wrong, Gulfstream is doing well with the smaller more sophisticated attendees. Perhaps that's the direction of racing: we don't need infields, concerts, etc. I was kind of taken aback that Churchill is charging $10 for their first night race ($1 for TwinSpiresClub Cardholders). My instincts were that this was a terrible decision. However, maybe it'll keep the riff raff away and draw the true fans. Oh, and Rachel Alexandra's win over Mine that Bird was AWESOME.
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