Fear plays big role in silencing of problems

Harness racing needs more “Tim Finleys” to speak out for transparency in our sport and other problems that plaque our industry and need attention.

Ivar Hyngstrom just might be the one to get that “gate” rolling.

Like one horseman with a small stable said, “Don’t use my name. I sure don’t want to be ‘blackballed’ from the business I love but, to tell you the truth, I don’t I have any say-so in the business. I have ideas…I know many of the things that aren’t right…but, I can’t afford to say anything out loud.”

Another lamented, “Anyone who runs for the (USTA) Board regionally has only one interest in mind…THEIR INDIVIDUAL INTERESTS!

“So many of the rule change proposals, which make perfectly good sense to the majority, don’t get to first base and that discourages us from ever putting in anther rule change proposal in future years. A lot of great ideas never even get considered because we know they’ll never get anywhere.”

Personally, I know the feeling as I put forth an idea a few years back that was lauded by many—even in Columbus—and got rejected by the entire board at their annual meeting!

To refresh memories, I proposed a viable improvement to any race that requires a “re-draw” in an attempt to eliminate the unfairness of a horse having, for example, originally drawn the “2” post and then got stuck with the “9” post after the re-draw.

The proposal stated that, in the case of the horse in question, ONE single pill be drawn to determine the post with all others moving only one spot.

If, say, the added horse draws the “5” post, horses outside of that would move out one spot only—“5” to “6”—“6” to “7” and so on! Some wouldn’t be affected at all but the worst scenario would be one post position only.

One district—6A—voted for it and all others rejected it.

I recently remember when Murray Brown brought up an idea about “grading stakes” races, an idea that has been around for many years.

Murray is one of the most intelligent voices in harness racing and one I respect to the nth degree.

When Murray speaks, we should all listen.

But even Murray Brown has, I believe, submitted some rule change proposals that have never gotten to second base (first base being the mere submission).

That kind of makes me feel good when someone more knowledgeable and smarter than I finds the same fate and “I’m not the ONLY one!”

But the frustration is understandable.

I brought up the name Ivar Hyngstrom because he has a keen interest in our sport and had a very good year in 2022 in terms of wins and purses—his stable including Warrawee Veloce, Blue Devil, Unhynged Speed and Primo Extreme, among others.

He’s also a breeder—a small breeder—with a brand spanking new Somestarsomewhere colt out of his very own mare Excelerated Speed.

But, besides that, he’s a brilliant gentleman with experience in Business Development, Principal Enterprise Strategy, Solution Specialist and Technology Strategist at companies like Microsoft and Amazon Web Services.

In other words, he’s VERY smart!

From Marengo,Illinois—Floyd Griebel territory for you old-timers—Hyngstrom had some harsh comments about the USTA board amending the rule on artificial insemination “to allow frozen semen to be used in the breeding season, or year, immediately following castration or death of a stallion.”

Blue Chip Farms’ Thomas Grossman submitted the proposal noting that Sweden and many other countries in EU trotting union allow for this extended use…thus the reason for a “special” meeting on February 1.

But one thing is different…this is the U.S.A., not Europe.

Are we going to re-figure our tracks to have all starters come out from the infield without a gate and have a standing start? Is that next?

In harness racing, is the U.S.A. a “leader” or a “follower?”

But back to the question at hand, Hyngstrom thinks it’s yet another strike against the small breeder as this ruling keeps on giving “those at a the top” another year to have the advantage over the small breeder.

Hyngstrom argues the position of the top breeders saying, “Why give opportunities for other (smaller known) stallions when you can lock up part of the market for another year?

“Those at the top will always rig the industry to support the top clique.”

Hyngstrom submitted another proposal regarding transparency in the “draws” done in the race office and that, too, didn’t pass.

About that, he said, “I hear horsemen all the time saying they wondered about the draw. To make it transparent would be so easy (Ivar, remember, is a technology genius) and take any question on the validity of every draw. It’s all in the transparency.”

Hyngstrom’s voice is one of the many silent voices that struggle to stay above the financial waters in an industry that, in the U.S.A. paid close to $500 million in purse money last season.

Yet another silent voice thinks the governing powers in harness racing are similar to Congress here in the U.S.

“In Congress, the two-party system has no use any more. We need 100 Senators and 435 Representatives working for the good of the people. I just don’t understand why they play tug-of-war and get nothing done when they could grab hands and walk forward together and do something for the people.

“Why can’t the people of an opposite ‘party’ see that everyone working together helps them, too, In keeping their jobs. Well, it’s the same thing here. I’m not saying all of the directors are working solely on their individual interests but there aren’t enough of them working on behalf of the folk they represent in the districts they represent for the good of the entire sport and that stalls progress and change for the better.

“Anyone who puts in a rule change proposal wants to make the sport better.

“I don’t get it!

“Please, you can’t use my name. I’d be toast!”

This is a travesty when the very people who support our grand sport—many who wouldn’t have any vocation since this industry is all they know—are fearful that they wouldn’t have a livelihood if they opened their mouths.

There are two sides to every story…and this side is very sad.

by John Berry, for Harnesslink