What Kind of Hit Will Racing Take If Barbaro Dies?

[Dunbar]

Originally Posted by alysheba4

there will be zero loss of fan base / wagering $$$ because of barbaro...... the people who will never watch another horse race again are the folks who come outta the woodwork once a year for the derby.

p.s i am not brushing aside the heartbreaking barbaro tragedy...... he was my favorite horse since 1987 and the preakness was a punch in the gut for me.

Agree with Alysheba (who shares one of my all-time favorite horses). In fact, I'll go one further. Regardless of what happens to Barbaro from here out, the result will be a net increase in horseracing's fan base. Racing hasn't had this kind of exposure in decades, and much of it has been on the positive aspects of the care and love the stars receive. If Barbaro were to be put down tomorrow, his death would be a 1-2 day story whose impact was much softened by the great effort that went into saving him.

The bottom line is that year-to-year, horseracing is barely on the radar of even avid sportsfans. I doubt if 1% of the people at a World Series game or a Super Bowl would recognize the name Ghostzapper. And fewer still would recognize St Liam. So much for our last two HOY's. Of course, those already in the game DO recognize those names. But those in the game see breakdowns on a regular basis. In the current environment, a story like Barbaro's, where compassion and heart are the main ingredients, will probably have a (small) net positive impact on horseracing.

--Dunbar