Horse racing: Cup introduced sport to the uninitiated

When NBC signed off its 2005 Breeders' Cup telecast from Belmont Park late yesterday, it marked the end of a remarkable era in horse racing. After 22 years, the network will handle other sports during that Saturday each fall. But while it was aboard, NBC joined with the racing industry in creating interest among people who didn't know much about it.

In one way of looking at the Breeders' Cup and its NBC tie-in, it has succeeded greatly in introducing racing to the uninitiated.

Facing problems of declining business and a need to attract new and younger customers, industry leadership, headed by John Gaines, decided to have the...