Belmont at Saratoga is a draw, but keeping the Triple Crown relevant remains a concern

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) — For a second consecutive year, the Belmont Stakes is being run at historic Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York, creating a buzz in the city that closes off Broadway downtown with the sport’s spotlight shining.

Saratoga itself is a draw for avid fans, given the track’s place in horse racing history and a nod to its roots, but the debate continues about how to keep the Triple Crown relevant for a casual audience.

Horse racing is one of the oldest sports in the nation, dating back to before the Declaration of Independence. But unlike then, horse racing now has to compete for attention in a crowded sports landscape.

Racetracks like Saratoga have attempted to make the weekend a spectacle, with bands and activities throughout the races in hopes of showing the greatness of horse racing and what a day at the track looks like.

“It’s a great day out, lots of excitement,” said Michael Banahan of Godolphin, who owns Kentucky Derby winner and Belmont contender Sovereignty. “There are a lot of things that go on during the race week, as well. … I think just some people that hadn’t seen that before are beginning to enjoy that.”

The outreach extends beyond the track. Places like America’s Best Racing are working to educate casual fans about everything from betting to how well horses are taken care of and what to expect on race day.

It has connected with celebrities and influencers to get them involved in horse racing. That most recently included TikTok star Griffin Johnson, who was given a small ownership stake in Derby and Preakness horse Sandman.

Johnson showed himself getting ready for the races, bathing Sandman and showing what the colt does on his off day. Through this, the combined accounts of ABR and Johnson totaled 268 million-plus impressions and 111 million views.

“It’s great to have another young horse racing fan in the room,” said ABR’s director of digital marketing, Rachel Miller. “But, obviously, the same formula isn’t going to work forever. It’s going to reach a point where maybe Griffin’s involvement in racing may stall out or Sandman’s not racing anymore. There are just so many unknown variables, especially in this sport, and that’s one of the harder sells.”

There’s another option to draw more viewers, but it’s controversial.

Ever since Sovereignty didn’t run in the Preakness Stakes, forfeiting a shot at the Triple Crown to rest up for the Belmont, there have been conversations about spreading out the three legs beyond the current gap of two weeks, then three weeks.

Banahan believes spacing out the legs for more rest could attract higher-caliber horses, with more of a chance of the Kentucky Derby winner running, raising interest.

“I’m not too sure if that’ll be the case or not,” Banahan said. “I think the quality of racing is probably what draws people in. I think if we get better horses in all those races, I think they’ll get the casual to tune into those as well. Good competition, good horses in there, that happens by having a little more time between to rest. That’ll be good for us.”

Not everyone agrees that extending the time in between races would increase viewership. Trainer Chad Brown, who has Hill Road in the Belmont, thinks extending the time in between races actually will hurt the Triple Crown.

“I think if you start spreading it out, you run the risk of losing everyone’s attention, too,” Brown said. “That’s a long time for everyone to be invested in watching how this turns out. I think that the average sports fan moves on from sport to sport throughout the year. I think we have to be happy that we have some of them just for the Triple Crown, even if we can’t get them all the way through the bigger stuff. I think extending events runs risks for that.”

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AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing