In the latest edition of Rewind Robert Smith takes a look back some 50 years ago to 1973. In this piece,  he recalls what a huge presence horse racing then held in the world of spectator sports.  Also included are a number of old photographs of the huge crowds that attended live racing years ago.  

When some of the statistics regarding live attendance at sporting events were published in early 1974 for the previous year,  some interesting facts and figures were included.  These statistics were according to Triangle Publications, publisher of The Daily Racing Form, a tabloid publication founded in 1894 in Chicago.  (Note: It is still in existence and is in its 127th year of providing statistical past performance information for bettors) 

Headline from Harness Horse magazine 1974 

In 1973 horse racing easily continued as the country's No. 1 spectator sport. This marked the 22nd successive year this had occurred. For the purposes of their statistics, Triangle Publications combined attendance at both thoroughbred and harness racing events. Admission gains of 2,737,177 year over year raised the total to 76,752,572 people who attended a racing card (or at least part of one ).   It is important to point out that 777 more racing days were held in 1973 than the previous year at thoroughbred and harness tracks. That fact alone created quite an advantage. 

While I do not usually devote too much space to thoroughbred racing I will include a pertinent comment as it relates to today's topic.  This is quoted from an article in Harness Horse magazine which contained many of the facts and figures quoted here. 

"Among the many records established in thoroughbred racing in 1973 were total yearly attendance -- 47,234,843 -- and single-day attendance of 134,476. The latter was set at Churchill Downs when superstar Secretariat took the 99th Kentucky Derby en route to the first Triple Crown triumph in a quarter-century." On another occasion that year almost 100,000 fans were at Belmont Park to see the Triple Crown win. 

Listed below are a few attendance figures for 1973 for various sports 

Horse Racing - 76,750,000

Automobile Racing - 46,000,000

Football (College & Pro) - 43,600,000 

Baseball - 42,150,000

Basketball (College & Pro) - 35,000,000

Hockey - 21,000,000 

Greyhound Racing - 15,000,000 

Soccer - 6,000,000 

The modern day record for attendance at a live harness racing event was set in 1960 at Roosevelt Raceway in Long Island New York when 54,861 people showed up to watch that year's International Trot. For many decades it was common practice to publish daily attendance figures along with the mutuel handle. That stopped quite some time ago other than in rare instances.

Photo Gallery 

The following photos show the crowd sizes that occurred on a regular basis during the earlier days of harness racing.  These photos were taken at various locations and periods in time as noted when information was available. I don't believe any of the photos were taken in 1973.  

Large crowd at Roosevelt Raceway watches the start of a race.   Date unknown. 

Greenwood Raceway scene from 1980 when Niatross raced there. 

A very large crowd gathered at Thorncliffe Park in Toronto on opening day, May 1929.  This would have been a thoroughbred race gathering.  

Here is a large gathering at Blue Bonnets in Montreal showing a full house.  This great old track was often filled to capacity and beyond. 

Charlottetown Driving Park relative to its size could draw some pretty  large audiences.  As shown above some people even went out on the track to get a good look at the action.  This was taken I believe close to 80 years ago.

Here is a very recent photo taken on Gold Cup & Saucer night at Red Shores Racetrack Charlottetown Driving Park.  This annual event is somewhat of a throwback to an earlier era and still draws very large crowds.  Photo by Frances Lund 

 

Quote For The Week: "Nothing can dim the light that shines from within." - Maya Angelou 

Who Is It? 

This photo was taken around 50 years ago and this fellow could draw quite a crowd wherever he appeared.  This was a gathering at Roosevelt Raceway where fans asked the drivers questions.  Who is this fellow? 

Who Else Is It? #1 

Turf writer Spencer Ross conducts a trackside interview with a driver at Roosevelt Raceway about 45 years ago. Who is this gentleman in silks? 

Who Else Is It? #2 

Can you identify this fine fellow? The only clue I will offer is that he is slightly out of his normal "territory" based on the photos that usually appear in the weekly Rewind Quiz section.  

Closing comments: Large crowds at harness racing events is undoubtedly a thing of the past and probably unlikely to ever return.  It is an unfortunate fact of the passage of time.  The following is a quote from a 2011 Rewind,  also about the days when crowds were large. 

"I can clearly recall the day when attending live racing was a 'big deal' and caused a lot of excitement as people hurried to arrive on time, buy a program, get a good seat (and try to hang on to it) and for sure the first order of business was to bet the Daily Double. There were times when one person from a group went earlier than the rest and "put dibs" on a row of seats with a blanket or a newspaper to insure seating for all. A few months ago I was in attendance at what is now known as live racing and there were so few people there and it was so still and lifeless that a fellow not far from me said 'I feel like I'm in church ; it's so quiet in here.'" - RMS