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MISSOULA - Horse racing came back to the 2010 Western Montana Fair for the first time in three years and now the question is whether or not the races will stay.

The races seemed to be a success at this year's fair as fans enjoyed two days of races. and in those same two days, the fair saw an increase in attendance by 65%.

"It was chaotic, but it was a lot of fun. A lot of smiling faces in the crowd, people were really excited," says Steve Earle, Western Montana Fair Manager.

"All three commissioners were at racing this year. I was there, it was very exciting, the stands were full, having a lot of fun, winning and losing a little bit of money," added Missoula County Commissioner, Bill Carey.

"We're still recovering from just an overwhelming experience. I think if you were there, you saw just humongous crowds and just this tremendous groundswell of support from the fans and the county," said Eric Spector, Montana Downs President.

Spector brought horse racing to the fair this year and he says he's extremely interested doing it again. The contract he signed with the county gives him the option of brining horse racing back again next year.

But before a final decision can be made, Spector and the county need to iron out a few details.

"Horse racing I think does bring people in that wouldn't be there otherwise and they do spend some money, that we wouldn't have otherwise. But we just have to wait and see what the numbers show and whether the vendor wants to do it again," says Carey.

"Once we see the numbers for the entire fair, what we did revenue-wise, cost-wise and if the public sentiment has anything to do with it, you can pretty much bet we'll be back next year," says Earle.

"The amount of money that's wagered at the facility just absolutely exceeded expectations. the money that's wagered though, doesn't translate to profits. So, the meet was not expected to make money, it was expected to reintroduce racing to that facility and to that side of the state. And I think those goals were absolutely met," added Spector.

Spector wants to thank the fans for their support and enthusiasm for the sport and he says he looks forward to coming back.