Enjoyed Watching Horse Races with No Prior Knowledge of Entrants

Yesterday afternoon I was surfing the different channels for live sports and came across one showing a race from the Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York...the race was the Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes, for what that was worth.  All I know is that when I tuned in the horses were just being loaded up for the race's start and soon thereafter it was on...I didn't know anything about the horses or their odds other than what the screen was showing as they took off.  I quickly saw that the three favorites in this race, #2,4, and 6, had similar odds and kept my eye out for them.  The race was very close and exciting, and it ended with a photo finish...couldn't have wished for a more exciting couple of minutes watching televised sports.  Yet I knew nothing beforehand about the horses entered, nor had I even been aware of that particular race until I happened to click on it happenstance.  Today I watched a couple more races at Saratoga...FoxSports1 was covering their race day...and although I had to wait a little longer for the races to start I once again was entertained with highly interesting, gripping experiences.  This is a stark contrast to how, during the Triple Crown races like the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont, they'll go on for hours on end with boring background stories about the horses, trainers, owners and the respective tracks...just give me the race, please: I've tried to get enthusiastic about the pre-race hype but it doesn't work for me...

As for Saratoga, they have a no-spectator policy in place because of the coronavirus pandemic, and this past June's Belmont Stakes, also in New York state, was held without live fans on hand.  But the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, postponed from May until September 5th, is at this writing going to take place before live spectators...I wonder how that's going to play out.  As for my view of the sport in general, I've known people who are crazy about horses and some who clearly have a weakness for gambling...sorry, but I've never been partial to either: I think the last time I gambled on sports was in a football pool in 1973 during high school.  No, I just like to watch races during the couple of minutes they take out of my day and then go on to other things...others can keep their money and horse lore...