Manitoba racing at crucial crossroads

The harness racing industry in Manitoba, Canada is at a very crucial crossroads right now with respect to what direction they, as an industry, are wanting to go.

For years, the Manitoba product has been very secluded and not accessible to many. Out-of-province fans and interest have been minimal due to the lack of exposure to the talent within.

Top horses, trainers and drivers often move onto bigger stomping grounds to achieve their racing dreams and a lot have found success. Although the talent seems to always leave Manitoba, it is worth noting that the province has and continues to develop high-level talent.

The breeding program in Manitoba has been what has kept the industry alive over the long hard years and it definitely will be a pillar to growing the industry going forward. But that poses the question of what does the industry in Manitoba want to grow into?

Will it survive as a breeding program with 10-15 race days every summer and racing out of small towns like Miami or does the program need to adapt and make a full push to race in Winnipeg at the Loop?

It’s a truly honest debate that probably doesn’t have a real right answer, but it is still an intriguing conversation, nevertheless. The word around town is that if the construction of the Loop is complete by this upcoming summer, then the majority of race days will be held there. Miami Fair will host a couple of race days near the end of July. The idea behind this is to establish a footing in the larger market that is Winnipeg while still allowing Miami to host a couple of days and continue the fair tradition.

It makes sense at first glance but there could be some holes in this going forward. If harness racing can find a way into the hearts of Winnipeggers, then it is unwise to take the racing away to somewhere that won’t have access to simulcasting or a live stream to watch the races.

At what point is the balancing between the old ways and the new ways going to be a contributing factor to the downfall of the industry? However, having a few race days out at Miami Fair could work and be beneficial if things are done correctly to ensure that fans everywhere can still watch and participate in the action.

Although allowing online wagering is not possible for only two days of racing, there are still other options to allow that the Miami days do not get lost in the weeds. Advertise heavily about the races being in Miami and secure a transportation system that could take fans based in Winnipeg to have a “day at the races” outside the city.

Making it into a proper event would give the days in Miami legitimacy in the new scheme. It is important to maintain Miami’s legitimacy in the plan going forward, especially if they are to continue to host racing going forward.

The first thing that is a must, for both the Loop and Miami Fair, towards having success going forward is advertising and promoting at the highest level. With the uncertainty around the construction of the Loop, official advertising has been minimal but once everything has the green light then marketing needs to be at 110%.

This is not just the responsibility of the Red River Ex and the Loop but it’s Manitoba Standardbred Racing Industry’s responsibility as well.  This needs to be more than a few posts on Facebook and Twitter.

This needs to be billboards, radio ads and sponsorships with other organizations to compete with everything else going on in the big city. Winnipeg is home to several big-time sports leagues like NHL, AHL, WHL, CFL, CPL, CEBL, and also thoroughbred racing at Assiniboia Downs.

Sure, having live racing at the Loop that coincides with the Red River Ex Fair will draw eyes but what will bring people in the remaining months of the season? Advertising is the essential first step into growing the brand and making sure that the fan base is well aware that racing will move to Miami for a couple of weekends but that things don’t get forgotten.

The next step is to have a top-tier simulcast production that rivals other tracks. The couple summers at Miami Fair that had simulcasting showed that out-of-province bettors were more than willing to put money on the track, but things will need to progress further to keep the attention of the big-time players. To rival other tracks there needs to be more than just two guys in the grandstands with a microphone.

In the modern-day world where the newer generation’s attention span flips between the countless different events going on, there needs to be engagement every second of the live stream. The Loop has an opportunity to be different than all the other tracks because it is starting fresh. The Loop cannot fall into the same trap as every other track that does not allow for innovation.

Manitoba is also geographically positioned well to host events that could attract attention from both the western and eastern parts of Canada. Developing a Manitoba-based event similar to the Gold Cup and Saucer that brings in people from all over should also be a day-one priority.

Allowing people from out of province to come and race here would grow the legitimacy of the Manitoban racing product. Accessible and economically reasonable stabling for everyone should be simple enough in this day and age but it has been very unclear if that is something that would be available at the Loop.

Shutting out outside horse people is essentially the same as shutting out outside fans and bettors as well. The goal should be to make Manitoba and the Loop a destination that is desirable and accessible to all.

The last and most important step is all the organizations that make up the industry in Manitoba need to get along and have the same common goal.

The Manitoba Standardbred Racing Industry, the Manitoba Standardbred Sires and Breeders Association and the Manitoba Harness Horsemen Association along with the Loop and the Miami Agricultural Society must build towards the same goal or ultimately things will surely fail.

Having several different groups with different endgames will only work for a short time. If building a successful racing facility in Winnipeg while still allowing Miami to host a few race days is the goal, then that needs to be a shared venture from everyone.

This is not to say that people cannot have different opinions on how to accomplish this but there is a sense that not everyone is on board with the new direction. If the small-town fair model is the right course of action, then why did it not work over the past few decades? This is the time to try something new and innovative, but it needs to be done at the highest level to compete with everything else that is going on.

Once the veil is fully pulled back and it is confirmed that there will be racing happening at the Loop this upcoming summer, then it goes time for everyone to pull together. We can make this a competitive track while allowing Miami Fair its time in the spotlight.

The venture to Winnipeg has been a long time coming since harness racing left Assiniboia Downs in the mid-’90s and this opportunity cannot be squandered by the powers that be in Manitoba.

by Trey Colbeck, for Harnesslink