How Daily Fantasy Sports could work in harness racing

by Bob Duff

Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) are everywhere. It’s how DraftKings and FanDuel got big, before legalized sports betting came along and made these two companies massive.

Today, DFS games are not only prevalent, but they involve just about every major sport. Football. Baseball. Basketball. Hockey. Soccer. Even golf and MMA.

So why not harness racing then?

Sure, it’s unlikely that FanDuel or DraftKings are ever going to seek to launch a harness racing DFS site and take it mainstream across North America. Then again, FanDuel does own the advance deposit wagering site TVG and has a vested business interest in horse racing, so you never know.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though. Start small, and let’s see what we can build. What if there could be some form of localized DFS put into place, operated in some manner in partnership with individual tracks?

Of course, there are going to be regulatory issues to be dealt with and all of that stuff that slows down any good idea. In reality, this notion is in all probability a pipe dream, but it sure feels like one that’s worth exploring. After all, racetracks are all about finding new and improved methods for getting people to spend money on the sport. And there’s no doubt that people are spending plenty of money to play DFS in the U.S. market.

Research conducted by Angus Reid Group for the Fantasy Sports & Gaming Association (FSGA) revealed that 81 million North Americans are participating in either DFS, legal sports betting, or both. The combined handle for all of this in 2023 was estimated at $102 billion. If harness racing were able to find a way to tap into even a tiny piece of that pie, it would be quite the tasty bite.

Could DFS even work with harness racing? And if so, how exactly would it work?

Well, we’ve given that notion some serious thought. Again, it’s probably a dream, but hey, it’s our dream, so don’t wake us up just yet.

A BLUEPRINT FOR HARNESS RACING DFS

Bear with us, because we have given this idea of harness racing DFS a good deal of consideration. Taking a July 26 program for a harness racing card at The Meadowlands as the basis, we put together a concept of what harness racing DFS competition could look like.

First, a disclaimer. The Meadowlands was in no way involved in any of this plan. We simply chose a race card from the track as an example to implement our blueprint.

Now, there are two ways that DFS generally works. There are tournament competitions and head-to-head or pick’em events.

Regardless of which plan is implemented, you will first need a scoring system in place for it to work. Here’s what we came up with in that regard.

In a competition, you’d be able to choose one driver, one trainer, and three racehorses from a race card. The horses must be selected in three different races. You can’t take more than one horse in any race.

For each win, you’d get five points, a place would be worth three points, and a show garners one point. If the result is recorded in a stakes race, there’s a bonus point added to each finish.

You’re already probably thinking, just pick the driver with the most mounts and the trainer who is sending out the most starters on the race card. Well, here’s what we’re going to do to prevent that from being an automatic move. Every time the driver or trainer you pick has a finish outside the top three on the race card, we’re going to subtract two points from your scorecard. Now there’s a little more risk involved in going all-in on the busiest drivers and trainers.

PICKING THE TEAMS, ADDING UP THE SCORES

For the sake of debate, we selected two competing teams from that July 26 Meadowlands card. Team 1 consisted of driver Scott Zeron, trainer Ron Burke, and the following horses: Smooth Dream, Sabonis, and Conversano.

For Team 2, our selections were driver Mark Herschberger, trainer Jeff Cullipher, and these horses: Beach Club Monty, Maximus Miki, and Monserrate.

In the case of Team 1, Zeron recorded a win and three seconds for 14 points. Three of those results came in stakes races, adding three bonus points to his total. However, his mounts missed the board eight times for a -16 score. Overall, he was +1. It was a tough night for Burke. He recorded a pair of thirds, but was outside the top three in three other races. He did get one point from a stakes race top three. That left him at -3 for the night. The saving grace for Team 1 was the squad of three horses. Conversano and Smooth Dream both won stakes races, while Sabonis finished third. That’s 13 points. Overall, Team 1 finished with a +11 tally.

Team 2 just never got it going. Herschberger counted one third in a stakes race and missed the board four times for a -6 tally. Cullipher fared better. He sent out a second and a third-place finisher, missing the board with his other entrant. That’s +2 for him. However, both Beach Club Monty and Monserrate finished outside the top three. That offset a second-place performance from Maximus Miki, for a combined total of -1. Overall, Team 2 finished a disappointing -5, making Team 1 the winner of this competition.

Could this work as a DFS competition? Why not? Will a DFS site suddenly become enamored with offering harness racing competition? Don’t hold your breath.

Still, nothing is preventing you and your friends from setting up a private competition following this formula. After all, that’s how fantasy sports got its start.