BDHC members speak up on saving harness racing

by John Berry

Everyone is seeking ways to save and/or improve our grand sport but, according to some members of the BDHC (Broken Down Horseplayers Club), the “chief honchos” — as some  BDHC personnel say — are going about it in the wrong manner.

“This is a spectator sport,” lamented longtime BDHC member, Smitty, a retired educator from Chicago, “and, since this is supposed to be a spectator sport, someone [besides Gabe Prewitt, Cara Collins, and a couple of others] should be listening to their thoughts. 

“All the raving they are doing today is about the fact that this State is putting up $20 million to shore up the industry and that State is putting up $15 million to help out.

“They should be putting some money into luring bettors back into the fold, since the ones they lost aren’t coming back… due to boredom between races, short fields, takeout and the inevitable end of life, among other things.

“Casinos and tracks could help each other so much with cross promotions like the casino giving betting vouchers for their tracks and tracks returning the favor by giving vouchers for slot play.

“It’s a no-brainer — but, in reality, that doesn’t surprise me.”

Smitty does have a point or two.

Politics has gotten in the way, says another BDHC member.

“When the casinos can line the pockets of politicians once or twice to get a de-couple racing bill on their agenda, it opens the door to casinos to save money forever that was earmarked for racing and, in turn, boost their bottom line,” he said.

“It also leaves the door open for the States that bolster racing with their monetary infusion to save that money in case of future shortfalls in other issues deemed more important than harness racing and all of pari-mutuel racing.”

There are exceptions, of course — for now — Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio among them, but the threat is on-looming with our guard having to remain vigilant, literally, 24 hours a day as sneaky proceedings happen in the middle of the night with stuff like this.

BDHC member M.P. thinks the races at one mile are passé these days and should be changed accordingly saying, “I think the mile route is getting boring and needs to be changed to at least to 1 1/16 miles for 2-year-olds, 1 1/8 miles for 3-year-olds, and 1¼ miles for horses 4 and up.”

I still think one-mile races may be in vogue for some of our most classic Grade 1 events such as the North American Cup, Meadowlands Pace, Hambletonian, Kentucky Futurity, Breeders Crown events, and FanDuel Opens.

Changing distances would give our sport new headlines, new track records and, possibly, even some coverage in newspapers — both print editions and online.

It might even prolong a horse’s racing career if drivers would take a hold and begin rating horses in these slightly longer events, and we need to do this before the speed brings our average field sizes down to the five, six, or seven.

The number of horses racing aged 10 and up is shrinking every season, as are the field sizes, which is not a good thing if you are a bettor — and harness racing has the need to make things better for the bettor.

When I approached one BDHC member, he retorted that, “We already have plenty of full fields in Kentucky and Ohio and Indiana.”

That’s because so many tracks have closed and put a squeeze on entries at some of the existing tracks.

How many tracks have closed in Illinois, Michigan, and California over the past 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years?

And the handle at some tracks with $10,000 purses is so paltry that the handle would barely support a $1,500 or $2,000 purse.

The owners of these racing facilities are business folk and are not in the business of losing money year after year without the infusion of funds from the outside.

The shake-up to lure new fans and fresh money must begin with a renewed vigor before it’s too late.

M.P. added, “The 2:00 mile is ancient these days and the 1:50 mile is, like some say, ‘ho-hum’ these days, as well, except in Maine, and I am going to start playing a little up there.

“Those guys up there still know how to grab a hold and try to rate their horses and there are some miles up there in the 2:00 range, and I like that a lot, being from the old school.

“Nobody up here in simulcasting cares about a 1:50 mile… They don’t pay the win price on the time, unless one has a prop bet on time.

“But we don’t have that either, and so many other [spectator] sports do.

“We just want to cash our tickets!”

M.P. has made a point there, too.

Through the year 2020 — six years ago — over 2,400 individual horses have accounted for well over 6,400 winning miles in 1:50 or faster.

Since then, the number of winning 1:50 miles has ballooned to over 9,000 with the number of horses pacing their miles that quickly is probably approaching 40,000 in losing efforts.

Our breeders have done a remarkable job in changing our standardbred breed to today’s “pacing bred” and “trotting bred” and it’s about time the industry catch up to the brilliance of the breeders in doing so.

Bulldog Hanover is, of course, the fastest with an unfathomable 1:45.4 winning mile four seasons ago and, since then, 25 other horses have joined a list of horses that have come within one second of that.

To me, that brings back memories of just how far Cambest was ahead of his time when he took a time-trial mark of 1:46.1 back in 1993. No misprint, 1993.

Where does that leave the owners who, once just a few years back, dreamed of having a 1:50 performer, that, now, in many instances, receives only 12 per cent or 8 per cent or 5 per cent or nothing of whatever purse for which they are racing — less expenses.

Check your programs, you might find an older pacer capable of going a mile in Steady Star time — 1:52 — in for a $6,000 claiming tag these days.

Owners have spent — and spend — a lot of money for their horseflesh and receiving less and less bounty as times get faster and faster.

One horse owner lamented, “Does one invest $50G’s or $200G’s hoping to get one of the, say, 50 horses that can pace in [1]:48 or trot in [1]:49 and a piece, or does he buy because he thinks he can be at the head of the class and win a million dollars?

“I’d say he’s crazy if he buys for the time reason and it’s a real long-shot to win a million.”

Just last Saturday (July 11), there were at least 25 winning miles from 1:49.4 down to 1:46.4 throughout North America with more than 75 other horses in pursuit earning minor spoils, or nothing, and pacing miles under 1:50 in the process.

In addition, there were several horses pacing final panels between :25 and :25.4 and earning just a small pittance — or nothing — for their efforts.

But, back to the basics — getting spectators back in the game — BDHC members watching the action want action, and not just for the last 16th of the distance.

“Give us more action,” said Warner B. “Most of us don’t skip track to track and we have our handicapping done way before post time, so we don’t need 22, 23, 25 minutes and, outside of [Kentucky] Derby Day, we don’t have lines at the windows at our simulcast places, and there are plenty of terminals to bet.

“Prop bets would help and the old time trials would be a blast to make a prop bet.”

Whether it be $4 trackside Bar-B-Ques or enhanced payoffs on-track, compared to simulcasting venues or phone hook-ups, something must be done to draw new blood and new money to the betting windows on track.

Adolph A. thinks that patrons might be lured on-track by a promotion whereby a drawing would be held prior to an early races with names drawn matching them to entrants in a later race with the winning names drawn sharing in the purse.

For example, if the purse that day is $10,000, the prizes would be similar to purse distribution — 50 per cent, 25 per cent, 12 per cent, 8 per cent, and 5 per cent with the others further back in the field receiving $100.

This has been done in the past and proven successful, but in an era where there was no or little simulcasting.

To me, our sport needs a vaccination of sorts — yes, a shot in the arm — of an event that would be sponsored by one track and available at all simulcasting venues, like the lottery, with a guaranteed pool of at least $500,000 with carryovers that could vault it to a $1,000,000 or more bonanza for a minimal wager of 20 cents to 50 cents.

May The Horse Be With You!