It is often said that no one will eat sausage after seeing it made. Horse racing's problem is that no one realized until recently that it has been making sausage all along."

This is how we are viewed more and more every day.

You see - the more things that happen that come across as negative - or simply are negative - the more chance we have at losing one more fan. I shouldn't even have to explain this - because it should be evident to anyone with a lick of common sense:

Fans with regular salaries spend money on programs, food, racing forms, wagers, alcohol, memorabilia.

Fans with irregular salaries (meaning - they make an ass load of money) spend money on programs, food, racing forms, wagers, alcohol, memorabilia, weanlings, yearlings, 2yos, racehorses, mares and invest in racing partnerships.

Fans that enjoy doing all the above bring their coworkers, families, friends, associates and business partners who spend money on programs, food, racing forms, wagers, alcohol, memorabilia. Sometimes those invitees end up investing their money in weanlings, yearlings, 2yos, racehorses, mares and invest in racing partnerships.

Remember that saying that I can't remember exactly and am not even going to Google to find but it's something like a happy customer returns, an unhappy customer tells 10 people and those 10 people tell 10 people and so on and then you're out of business.

Well when you're on a National level and every media outlet that isn't Thoroughbred Times, BloodHorse, Daily Racing Form and Thoroughbred Daily News is telling everyone daily how awful you are - what do you think that does?

I know that NOTHING that is going on in our sport is fixed over night. It's not like we just pull all the Barbie's and remove the toxic hair and replace it. It's a living breathing animal not a toy.

So if the fans leave - I'm sure I'll still be cheering on a horse somewhere, somehow. You can't take that away from me. However if I'm working at K-mart somewhere not in Kentucky because they left and because they paved over the Bluegrass to make a parking lot for Ohio - then I'll be pissed about it. At least I will be able to say that I tried to make a difference - if only by using my voice (or my typing skills) and taking on PETA that one day in May, 2007.

I honestly don't think that will happen - and you?