A tale of two harness racing cities

Yonkers and Monticello are two population centers in New York State. If you obey the speed limit laws, you can traverse the ninety miles between their two namesake harness racing tracks in only an hour and a half. Yonkers Raceway is on the outskirts of one of the most populated cities in the world.

In fact, the New York City Metropolitan Area is home to the largest population of all metropolitan areas in the entire United States. That number was just under twenty million in 2022. Check it out at this link.

On the other hand, the population of Monticello, New York in the heart of The Catskill Mountains was listed as 7,215 in 2024. With such a small number it is more likely to get an accurate count by simply going door-to-door and asking, “Is anybody home?” Check it out at this link.

Monticello is listed as a township in Sullivan County. The entire population in that county is 80,000. Check it out at this link.

I passed more people than that on the subway and the streets of Manhattan when I commuted to work from Brooklyn. Yonkers itself, is home to more than 200,000 residents. More than 80,000 people might be within walking distance of Yonkers Raceway. Check it out this link.

The population of Monticello and Sullivan County has actually grown a little in the past 50 years, but that belies the story of the area’s creeping death. Fifty years ago, the area was booming with activity during the summer months. Many world class resorts were filled to capacity, and there were hundreds of them, and literally thousands of bungalows were filled to capacity. There never would have been a Monticello Raceway if not for the summer population that filled the Catskills.

I will refrain from providing the “expert” opinions as to why the once popular resort area disappeared completely, because my politically incorrect opinions (supported by statistics) would deflect from the purpose of the article which is: Why does Monticello Raceway, currently a small, seemingly insignificant harness track, frequently outperform its big brother on the outskirts of New York City.

Here are the facts from Tuesday, July 23, 2024. Both Monticello and Yonkers raceways raced on that day. Statistics captured from the USTA website.

The Yonkers purses were more than triple the Monticello purses on Tuesday, while Monticello handled almost 30% more. This does not happen every time these tracks race on the same day, but it is far from infrequent. How is this possible? We’ve been told that the betting public craves wagering on the better horses with the better drivers. Check the drivers and trainers at Yonkers on a nightly basis, and you will also find many of those “Who’s Who in Harness Racing” names among the earnings leaders provided by the USTA on their site. Except for days when Monticello is holding stakes races, you won’t find any of their participating drivers on that USTA list.

In addition, it must be noted that amateur races at The Meadowlands, which boasts the largest handle figures in North America, frequently out handle many of the professional races on the same nights. I feel comfortable ruling out the quality of drivers and trainers as a major factor in betting in the eyes of the wagering public. Don’t you?

Maybe it’s the faster times at Monticello. Both Monticello and Yonkers are half-mile tracks. We always hear harness racing announcers raising their voices in adulation for fast races. The fastest race at Monticello on 7/23 was in the 5^th race when YANKEE ON THE MOVE perambulated the half-mile oval in 1:55.0. The purse was $8,300. The slowest race at Yonkers on 7/23 was in the last race when SHEIK YABOOTY N won in 1:56.0. The purse was $15,000.  Ten of the eleven races at Yonkers were 1:55 or faster.

Looks like speed had no impact on the wagering public. I feel comfortable ruling out fast times as a major factor in betting in the eyes of the wagering public. Don’t you?

So why do harness racing bettors prefer Monticello over Yonkers? One would think that the owners of horses racing for Yonkers purses would have more money to wager than Monticello horse owners. Are the horse owners wagering less at Yonkers? I doubt it. Some may say that the reason is that Monticello has a passing lane while Yonkers does not.

That does not pass the sniff test for me since Monticello had the same footing as Yonkers when they both had passing lanes. Do bettors believe that illegal drugs are more of a factor at Yonkers than at Monticello?  From personal conversations with bettors, many of them believe that.  What follows are my personal opinions on the difference in popularity.

I only play a Yonkers race if I see a horse that I am following racing there. Even then, I may shy away due to my unfamiliarity with the competition. However, I will wager the Monticello card when I have the opportunity. I do not play Monticello as often as I would like because I am frequently otherwise occupied during the day when their races are going on. Yonkers races happen when I have the freest time, but I choose to occupy my time elsewhere. I do not like risking my money on Yonkers races.

First, let me make it clear that I prefer harness racing without passing lanes, so that is not the reason I do not play Yonkers races. Maybe my views of courtesy tucks there are out of date since I don’t watch their races anymore, but when I did, they were constant and unpredictable. Monticello races have more action. Courtesy tucks are also a big issue at The Meadowlands, but because of the large fields and lack of a passing lane, you can pick up many racing excuses that can prove valuable in future races. But courtesy tucks are still an issue at the swamp despite their racing program which tells us that the opposite is true.

The bottom line is that harness racing fans prefer wagering on horses and drivers that do not have the household names from Yonkers Raceway. You may disagree with my unscientific reasons, but you cannot disagree with the facts as presented. Per the harness racing customers, Monticello Raceway offers a better product than Yonkers Raceway. I wholeheartedly agree.

Power to the punter.

by Gil Winston, for Harnesslink