EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- With the smoldering remains of the World Trade Center visible on the Eastern horizon, The Meadowlands brought racing back to the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area Tuesday night for the first time since the terrorist attacks a week earlier.

A subdued crowd of 4,921 bet $471,321 on track as a part of a total handle of $1,463,127 for the nine-race card.

"There's very little left to be said that hasn't already been said," Bob Kulina, president of the Meadowlands, after a ceremony that included a moment of silence and the singing of "God Bless America" before the first race. "We're just trying to do our one little thing that gets things back to normal. For us, racing is our one little thing."

Few people in the area have not been affected by the attacks. Throughout The Meadowlands on Tuesday night, conversations centered on how friends and family were involved in the events as patrons and employees renewed acquaintances. For many horsemen, the events unfolded right before their eyes.

"I couldn't see the crash, but we noticed the smoke and suddenly word just spread across the whole backside," said exercise rider Cecil Villareal.

"After we heard what happened, it seemed like we all seemed to notice how low the planes were flying and how they sounded so close."

The Meadowlands, which is about 10 miles northwest of the World Trade Center, across the Hudson River, served as a staging area for many of the rescue efforts. Food and shelter was offered for hundreds of evacuees, and the site was a launching point for ambulances and other relief vehicles.

"This was a very busy place right after the attacks," said Bruce Garland, senior vice president of racing. "We had so many tractor-trailers filled with supplies. Volunteers were gathering here. The whole complex really did their part to pitch in."

Heightened security was also evident, although it didn't rise to the level of searching individual fans.

"The whole complex has held several meeting to address the security issue," said Garland. "We'll be reinforcing several of the already-existing policies and beginning some new measures, but there's probably nothing there that our patrons won't be happy to comply with."