A customer… if
by Trey Nosrac
To create business models to keep harness racing alive in tomorrow’s universe, we should start with the customer.
Start with a customer who might invest but isn’t sure they trust the game, loves horses but feels the sport is sketchy, or wants an experience that feels wholesome and alive.
Start with the customer, swing for the fences, and race towards something new.
Trey would sign up for a new model of a harness racing plan with:
• A relatively small number of owners and horses in a self-contained universe.
• The feeling of being part of something new.
• A predictable total outlay of about $50,000 for two years (less with partners).
• A season, not a treadmill.
• No cheating.
• An excellent facility with opportunities for engagement.
• A unique adventure.
• Meaningful financial rewards for owning one of the better horses.
• A program anchored by scheduled races, a social program, and entertainment.
• A strong effort to find every horse a post-racing home.
• Home development and RV options to become part of a community.
• Equine educational presentations that make people smarter and more attached.
• No vet bills. No shoeing bills. No shipping bills.
• A warm, rural location where winter doesn’t hold the sport hostage.
• Video feeds of barns, horses on the track, and horses in paddocks.
• A coffee shop, because the future of any sport begins with conversation.
• Management that makes the rules.
• Economies of scale that reduce operating costs.
• Weekly posting of standings and statistics.
• AI integration to mitigate operating expenses and improve presentation.
• A world where politics and casinos don’t have us in their reins.
• A country club vibe.
• No gambling.
• An investment group that doesn’t need to earn a fortune but does want to build something memorable.
• A rebrand name like The Leland Trotting Society.
• A place welcoming to outsiders.
• Apprenticeship roles that become ingrained in staff culture.
• Multiple revenue streams.
• More women in leadership, training, and on-staff roles, a modern culture.
• A model so good that imitators follow our progress and improve it.
• A symbiotic relationship with existing harness racing operations.
• Five horse fields. No outside posts. No starting car.
• Competition that’s serious but not cutthroat.
• A team aspect, because teams create a sense of identity and belonging.
• A structure that allows investors to see a reasonable ROI.
• Everyone pulling on the same oars toward the same shore, where success isn’t determined entirely by money.
We can keep tinkering with the same old, sputtering engine, or we can build a new model that feels fair, social, warm, modern, and welcoming.
Next week, we will take a macro look at the financial underpinnings – what this kind of ecosystem costs, how it pays for itself, and why it might finally be a path to a new version of harness racing that doesn’t require gambling.
For now, take a look at the graphic. Don’t look at it as a fantasy. Look at it as a possibility.
