Limelight’s on Harness Racing

With the industry in major jeopardy, after the Meadowlands ordeal and what is currently happening in Pennsylvania and Ontario, there are a few changes I am going to suggest to make harness racing more like show business.

The reason to make it like show business is because the industry ranks in billions and close to trillions of dollars a year. In harness racing, you’d be lucky to make it over a billion dollars in profit. But the reason the thoroughbred industry is doing better than harness racing is because they imply some show business techniques that need to be introduced to harness racing. 

One thing is to change the distances and increase fields. In thoroughbred racing, everybody knows the Kentucky Derby is the greatest two minutes in sports. Harness racing needs something like that, big fields going abnormal distances. The Derby alone brings newspapers, new bettors and attention to the sport. Although there is the Hambletonian, we need something like the Hambletonian, except with an element they used for the Kentucky Derby.

Another thing is to bring the bettors onto the horse. By that, I mean show the average bettor what it’s like in the sulky through helmet cam or computer animation. Like in Nascar, they make it look like you’re on the track. Nascar is the leading industry in car racing and many people watch it because it implements methods of pumping adrenaline into the fans. This may also introduce more bettors to become horsemen.

The final thing is to make a challenge. With the Triple Crown, it gets bettors excited that a horse is doing something that is mathematically impossible. It also introduces new fans to put money into the handle. Harness racing does have a Triple Crown for both pacers and trotters, but not many people care about it. The Pacing Triple Crown consists of the Little Brown Jug, Cane Pace and Messenger Stakes, while the Trotting Triple Crown is the Hambletonian, Yonkers Trot and Kentucky Futurity. But these races aren’t a serious Triple Crown.

Like Harness Racing Update said (Link to their story: http://www.harnessracingupdate.com/restricted/pdf/hru/hru052012.pdf) someone like the USTA, Jeff Gural or the Hambletonian society can, “Establish two new Triple Crowns with the right races, form a common nominating process for the three, seek a sponsor, try to create a bonus structure, throw your marketing resources toward the events. Pick up the phone. Get it done. Now.”

We can agree fully on what they said in that great article. That harness racing needs to catch up with it’s rival thoroughbred racing. A Triple Crown, perspective and excitement are all things harness racing may have, but needs more.

A Personal Letter to Gov. Corbett

Lately, the Republican Party has been aggravating me. Recently, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett proposed a budget that would cut $72-million from the state standardbred industry. 

Dear Gov. Corbett,

I am a twelve-year-old enthusiast in the harness racing industry. I also follow politics. I find it ridiculous how you would cut $72-million from the sport. I understand you need to lower our debt and some stuff requires sacrifice but I don’t think you understand the severity of cutting money from this sport.

With the harness racing industry comes thousands of people employed as track hands, tellers, horsemen, drivers, jockeys and trainers. By cutting support money from the sport could see perhaps several thousand layoffs at the six tracks in the state. It’s contradicting when you want to make jobs but make a budget that would lose jobs.

As the industry is trying to recover after many tough years, some states are doing their best, like New Jersey and New York. Pennsylvania was one place where many horsemen wish to work but if tracks lose the support of the government there’s no point to be in Pennsylvania.

Drivers like Tyler Buter, who was ambitious enough to leave Illinois and venture east, started at Pocono and has become a top driver on the east coast. Pennsylvania used to be a top state in agriculture and this industry is a major key in horse racing. If we want to be a top agricultural state, we need to help the sport as much as possible.

You may not have known this, but in California (where harness racing used to be a major part of the state), Cal-Expo is in danger. At its peak, harness racing was held at Hollywood Park, Del Mar, Los Alamitos and other tracks. But all that is left is Cal-Expo; the state has cut support over the years and the sole track is in danger of closing if no one buys it privately by August. Although most tracks in Pennsylvania are privately owned, it is possible your cuts will bring less exciting racing and lower handles, which would damage the sport dearly. If Pennsylvania suffers like California, the sport will be permanently bruised. 

The decrease in support may also bring the elimination of the stake racing. With prestigious races such as the Adios, Battle Of Brandywine, Colonial, Valley Forge, Earl Beal Jr. Memorial, Currier & Ives, Governor’s Cup and others, the sport attracts horsemen and fans, which create business and income for the government as well as the sport.

Thank you for your time and hopefully some one will take action. I want to be involved in this industry in Pennsylvania, contributing to helping it thrive, but my future looks dim if the sport takes a violent spiral down.

                                                Sincerely,

                                                            Ray Cotolo

                                                            Editor of The Racing Inquirer