Does Horse Racing Know Its Audience?

Gary West writes for ESPN:

Fans at the Saratoga Clubhouse Rail

“Twice a week, Amelia and Juan Rojas journey 40 miles from Waxahachie, Texas, to Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie. At the racetrack’s renovated simulcast facility known as the Bar & Book, they typically spend the entire day. Seated comfortably at their carrels, they watch the action on individualized television monitors and bet on races from New York to California. This time of year, they follow the sport from Saratoga to Del Mar, with simulcast excursions to various racing locales in between.

Some racetracks lavish thousands of dollars on popular musical performers that can be magnets for youngsters who, in some cases, aren’t old enough to bet. They might not seem very unlike many of the sport’s most devoted fans, except for one thing. She’s 102, and he’s 101.”   Read the rest of the story