What Kind of Hit Will Racing Take If Barbaro Dies?

Originally Posted by randallscott35

BB, you are dead wrong here. The Ruffian incident caused some fans to go away forever. In fact, it ushered in a decline in racing. The impact was severe.

There's not a shred of evidence for that.

Ruffian's death was immediately followed by the astounding exploits of Forego, Seattle Slew, Affirmed/Alydar, and Spectacular Bid. The late 1970's were the Glory Days for thoroughbred racing.