Giving customers actionable information by asking the right questions can help the sport’s broadcast.

by Dean Towers

If you flip on The Meadowlands’ signal, you’ll often find in-depth interviews of drivers and trainers conducted between races from the paddock. Other racetracks achieve this more discreetly, either by relaying tidbits they’ve heard off-camera from their connections during the on-track broadcast, or in the thoroughbred game, by having on-site reporters provide information pre-race while riding horses.

From what I’ve gathered from Planet Horseplayer, this information is well-received, but it’s most effective when the right people and right questions are asked.

I’d like to share how I think this can be accomplished in the best way to quench the thirst of curious customers.

First and foremost, with upwards of a hundred horses on a card, the paddock interviewer cannot possibly gather information on every horse, nor should they. I firmly believe that it is crucial to meticulously plan this well in advance of the races. One can clearly see that The Meadowlands’ John Rallis excels in this regard. He typically identifies the appropriate connections to interview beforehand.

Next, the subset of horses we as players want to know something about tend to exhibit a few key characteristics.

They may include: Horses that were locked in, or appeared to be so, in their last race or horses that were live, but taken down from outside posts. Does the driver want to put these horses in play because he felt the horse was good in their last start?

Well-bet horses that underperformed in their last are a big ask for players. Beaten favorites are a long-time horseplayer angle for a reason; namely something happened the previous week. Asking a trainer or driver what, if anything, they thought might’ve tripped up their charge can clear up some mystery.

Lastly, and this in my view trumps all of the above, are horses who have missed time.

I had access to a large database back in the day, and horses who were off 15-28 days in harness racing had a $1 return on investment of less than 50 cents. They were essentially one of the worst bets you can imagine.

Today that’s simply not the case. Horses who have missed a few weeks or more can be excellent wagers and they win more often than in any time in the sport’s long history. The freshening could’ve done the horse good, and the trainer could’ve schooled the horse the previous Tuesday, or zipped him or her a couple of fast miles.

How would the public know that without input from the trainer?

Notice how most, if not all, of these questions are best addressed to the trainer. While driver intent is commendable, the person in charge of the horse 24/7 often offers the most practical advice.

I know at times some of these questions can rankle some feathers from participants. For example, if a trainer says a horse needs a week and will race from off the pace but the driver sees an opportunity to leave and wins the race from the pocket, it’s not ideal. However, contrary to the belief of some, horseplayers are pretty sharp. We know it’s a horse race and anything can happen. In fact, I would argue that those who doubt this fundamental truth are unlikely to become long-term, daily customers anyway.

I commend some in this sport — especially The Meadowlands, both management and the participants — for embracing paddock interviews. Perfecting and tweaking the process can do harness racing a great deal of good.