Less is more?

After spending yesterday afternoon at Atlantic City Race Course on the final day of its six-day meet, and fighting a big crowd for everything from hot dogs to the restroom facilities, I have come to two conclusions.

The first is that, no matter how hard Greenwood Racing Inc., the owner of the historic McKee City oval, tries to ignore the property and let it fall into disrepair, there is an incredibly big demand for live racing in southern New Jersey.  With little if any advertising that the meet was about to begin, people flocked to Atlantic City as if they were giving something away.  Opening day attendance exceeded 7,000, and yesterday's attendance was announced at 8,500, although it is unclear how Greenwood calculates these numbers since there are no paid admissions. 

It was obvious that the crowd at Atlantic City came solely because they love the sport, not because the racing facility offered any kind of fan-friendly conveniences.  The tote boards in the infield and the paddock area have been covered over, with odds available only on televisions located within the building or outside near the paddock.  The public address system could not be heard during the running of a race.  Large pieces of concrete on the stairs leading up to the grandstand box seating area were breaking off underneath the crush of feet traveling up and down.  But on the plus side, there did seem to be enough pari-mutuel tellers, concession stands, and clean, working restrooms.  There was an overall good mood wherever one might roam, despite the elbow-to-elbow jostling down on the track apron or while attempting to walk from the paddock to the grandstand. 

Here's how the picturesque track looked in the late 1940's:

And here's how it looks today:

Having covered Atlantic City for both Daily Racing Form and The Trentonian during its heyday, it was hard to see how badly the place had deteriorated, but also heart-warming to watch a large throng pressing up against the paddock railing, and families with young children getting excited about the horses.  I noticed one father explaining the game to his young son, and I even had a flashback to when my father did the same for me - and it turned me into a life-long fan.

The second conclusion I came to as I searched for a place to sit near the paddock (and found none) was that, if racing is to survive into the next century, perhaps the smaller, boutique meets are the way to go.  There's no doubt that owners and breeders in Pennsylvania are thankful that there is year-round racing and an opportunity to make money no matter what the season, but there's also no comparing the crowd at Atlantic City yesterday and a typical weekend crowd at Philadelphia Park or at Penn National.

Back in the 1950's, way before winter racing became the norm in the Northeast, there was a beginning and an end to the racing season.  Huge crowds would cheer the spring opening of Aqueduct, for instance, in much the same way that opening day for Major League Baseball is always a joyous event.  No matter whether it be food, drink, and yes, even racing, too much of a good thing can quickly turn bad.

This summer, Monmouth Park will experiment with a condensed racing season conducted only three days per week, and give away over $1 million in purses each day.  The feeling here is that it will be a rousing success, and perhaps set a precedent for how the sport must adjust in order to move forward and prosper.

There was even more good news emanating from Atlantic City yesterday - a conversation with Director of Racing Sal Sinatra revealed that, if purse money allows, there could be another mini-meet in September.  Let's hope that the smell of liniment complements the autumn breeze down by the paddock, and that racing fans of southern New Jersey can get a second chance at seeing real, live thoroughbreds, and hear the thunder of their hooves.