More ideas to fall on deaf ears
by John Berry
Over the past year, the Mane Attraction has presented several ideas to help our grand sport get around the track for yet a few more miles, meaning years and decades.
Examples included the genius strategy of Damola Adamolekun and, also, learning from other sports that have flourished in recent years such as golf and bowling.
Suggested, also, was a novel way to speed things up, a change of landscape, creating a “July Madness” similar to college basketball’s March Madness, and the dire necessity of finding a commissioner to lead us into the future, just as in the NFL, NBA, MLB, and other vastly successful major sports.
We have pointed out the “easy fixes” such as solving the whipping situation and fairness when a re-draw of a race becomes necessary.
Suggestions to alleviate the agonizing 20-25-minute gap between races have been put forth, as well.
We came up with the “fill-it-or-kill-it” proposal to make things a bit more amiable for the guys and gals that still plunk $2 through the pari-mutuel window or do so on their smart phones.
The more difficult fixes, concerning a 24-hour television network exclusive to harness racing or a recently suggestion of a Mega-8 wager, have not taken one single stride forward out of the starting gate.
The Mane Attraction has put a spotlight on the necessity for universal rules regarding medication regulations and equal due diligence for all, instead of every state having their own set of laws and rules —and rulings — with some granted stays of great time length while others get slapped with unreasonable, severe punishment, which causes owners to become disenchanted with our sport.
We have even pointed out the views of many of our most important factions — the bettors, who have gone, pretty much, ignored beginning with the racetrack meltdowns beginning a half century ago.
Us purists cringe when, instead of creating new history with exciting new stakes events, we throw our grand history in the trash by changing the names of important events — the Nat Ray, for example.
If we don’t care about our history, why would, or should, anyone else care?
We have even pointed out solutions to problems that have, and still do, plague our beloved sport, leading us to that medieval European idiom “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.”
We have even suggested the return of time-trials to keep the interest up between races with the multiple prop bets that could be available for action.
As longtime BDHC member and former owner R. Phil disclosed, “At least it would give us something to bet on, and it sure beats the dickens out of the useless information of having the horse’s best time at a particular size track.
“What good is it to see a horse drafting along at the back of the pack going in 1:50 when the winner goes in 1:47.3?
“At least the time trial would show what the horse can do on its own, and that’s much more important, and interesting.”
We are still searching for the next Harry O. Reno of a century past or a Joe Neville, a slightly more modern version of Reno.
Reno was the gent that kicked off the idea of the Hambletonian and Neville didn’t the same for the Little Brown Jug.
We are in desperate need of new blood all the way around, from owners and caretakers and drivers to fans, most of whom — though not Harvard grads — give a keen insight into why they are leaving the pari-mutuel part of the industry in favor of the many, many, many, many other forms of gam(bl)ing.
We also are in search of futuristic thinkers to lead the way, not those that are set-in-their-old-fashioned ways happy at the way things are going, oblivious to change.
As Gary A. lamented from his simulcasting perch, “Look here, it’s not even real late yet and the place is thinning out.
“There are few of us here under the age of, say, 60 or 65 here, and I know a lot of our players are spending their hard-earned dough or Social Security payments playing other forms [of gambling] where they don’t have to wait a half hour for action.
“Horseplayers don’t need that much time to figure out who they are going to bet on. They get their programs the day before or early in the day and have their picks all mapped out when they come here.
“In the old days, we had to stand in line at the windows at the track but, today, no. That aspect of racing hasn’t kept up with the times, so to speak, and the later it gets, the thinner it gets here.
“Another reason we lose people is, they die.”
Gary A. is correct. Membership in the BDHC (Broken Down Horseplayers Club) is getting smaller and smaller and we have not been able to replace them with new blood (money).
Most recently, a noticeable change has come from Major League Baseball, as many of their games are held at night.
As we all know, time is of the essence and that includes all aspects of sport.
Roger Bannister’s first 4:00 mile is obsolete, Ray Harroun’s win in the first Indy 500 is long-forgotten with an average speed of 74.602 MPH and the time of 6 hours, 42 minutes and 8 seconds.
In the not-too-distant future, owners are going to wonder why their 1:50 performer, for which they paid big bucks, doesn’t have the earning power to keep their financial heads above water.
That’s an easy answer, it’s because the 1:50 mile will be as useful as a 2:05 mile was 40 years ago.
Pro basketball has sped up things with their 24 second shot clock.
There is even a shot clock in many other sports, including tennis and poker.
Even major league baseball is joining the time-saving frat with the pitch clock timer.
As our attendees age, baseball that addressed that situation as the number of games that last three hours or longer has sharply diminished since that pitch clock was introduced in 2023.
Just in the past five seasons, the number of games lasting three hours or longer has been sliced from a high of 67 per cent in 2021 to just 15 per cent in 2025.
Yes, things are getting faster and faster in sports by design.
But, in our sport, the faster the mile, the more difficult it is for the equine to earn a living for its owner.
Now, we must start paying more attention to our fans and lure new ones with innovation.
We’re just getting started this year and, already, we’re seeing tracks with 15 races that get done when the clock is ready to strike midnight.
As Gary A. reminds us, “Who cares?
“By the time it comes around to 10 [p.m.], many folk are gone, and so are their bankrolls.”
Harness racing’s road map, fearfully, may never change as long as racing is supported by legislatures and gaming interests.
The bond between the three interests — politics, gambling, and harness racing — has, already, suffered from weak links with de-coupling and legislative interests finding ways to break away from their promises.
When it becomes more apparent that racing, for the most part, is doing little to maintain their fan base and attract new ones, casinos will complain that their public company bottom line performance is being hurt and their political contributions — from which tracks no longer benefit — will play a significant role in future dealings that most certainly will not benefit the track.
Legislators will then find other uses for the funds they deem more important than racing.
Amateur racing helps bringing in fans and their charitable contributions are noteworthy, but they cannot do it alone.
We need, in a hurry, to strengthen race pools to give bettors a better bang for their buck.
We need less races per card to get our remaining fan base finished at an amiable hour, and, by the way, with a 15 to 20 to 25 per cent rake (compared to other gaming forms) a bettor’s bankroll cannot survive a 15-race card.
Remember, a six-horse field has a mean odds of 7-2 or 4-1, while a nine-horse field has a mean value of 6-1, and a 10-horse field has a mean value of 7-1 on the tote board.
We need full fields to further enhance winning payoffs.
We also need fewer wagering options so pools can be more substantial for enhanced value.
One suggestion would be for the racetracks to limit the number of races per program to 10 and apply for an extra race day to accommodate those with 15, instead of two 15 race programs, have three 10 race programs so bettors can replenish their funds, and freshen up for an extra racing day per week.
For those that have full racing schedules, continue with 10-race programs with enhanced purses with “AEs” when necessary and go back to what has been done in the form of preference dates.
If we take our time in innovation, there will be nobody left like us faithful old-timers to carry things forward.
Time marches on — both on and off the track, but we don’t have much time off the track to make things happen.
Until then…
May The Horse Be With You!
