Bettors want competitive races, not speed

I totally respect John Berry and everything that he has done for harness racing in his Hall of Fame career.

Regarding hisNov. 16 column, I have a few points to raise:

If a bettor wants to play multiple tracks, there’s certainly no shortage of action and plenty of options to choose from. So, this is not an issue. A race goes off somewhere every few minutes.

If you’re the rare punter who goes to the races, the drag is quite literally a drag. It’s become a yawnfest and is totally frustrating to sit there waiting for the late CAW money to come in. It’s insulting to be quite frank. And, it’s possibly a disservice to the horses who have warmed up and are just lollygagging until they decide to call them to the post.

But, in my humble opinion, what betters want is NOT speed. They want competitive races. With the speed they are going, especially in the final quarters nowadays, no horse can close into those fractions. It’s boring. People don’t want boring. They want excitement. And how do they get exciting races?

Watch races from other countries outside of the United States and Canada, and horses aren’t strung out single file for the first half or worse, three-quarters-of-a-mile. They are two and three-wide the entire race. Race strategy is the key. During the race, there are times when they are going super-fast and other times in the race where they’re slowing it down. And those stretch drives? Thrilling!

How do we get there?

Step one: Fine drivers for lying back in the sulky.

Step two: Stop fining drivers who are in the lead for slowing the fractions. This will force drivers in trailing positions to take up the challenge. If they don’t, then fine them and not the driver on the lead.

One other thought I would like to share. I think too many exotic bets are available in every race. It dilutes the pools. For example, card just one, maybe two, Superfecta wagers on the card, and make them guaranteed pools. I feel that would really drive up those pools. And if no one hits, then carry over 25 per cent or 50 per cent to the next day’s Superfecta.

Thank you for reading. I just had to add my $2.

Sincerely,

Lonnie Goldman / Great Neck Plaza, NY