Horseracing, the sport of kings, needs more punters and fewer drugs

“IT’S A WIN-WIN,” says Zach Noren, who is visiting Belmont Park, a racetrack on the border of Long Island and New York City, with his three-year-old son Jack. “He likes the horses and I like to bet.” Mr Noren normally pays attention to the “ponies” only for Triple Crown events, like the Kentucky Derby. This is not unusual. There were few punters at Belmont on a recent Sunday afternoon. The virus may have made people wary of placing a flutter in person, but interest in racing has been dwindling for years.