. – Horse racing has regained second spot in Britain’s popularity stakes in terms of attendance after a year’s absence, leapfrogging rugby with nearly six million people going to meets in 2016. Football is still the most popular sport by far, but racing recovered after dropping a place in 2015 because of the impact of the Rugby World Cup in England. “The five-year growth trajectory highlights that a day out at the races continues to increase in popularity,” Stephen Atkin, chief executive of the Racecourse Association, was quoted as saying by the Times.