Quantity more important than quality? You Bet!

For those of us that love our grand harness racing sport, we have marveled at our history from the time Robert J broke the 2:00 barrier in 1897 through the Dan Patch years followed by the hypnotical presence of Greyhound through the Niatross era and, finally, the unbelievable achievements of a mile in 1:46…and, last year, even a tick faster by the “Bulldog.”

But, in thinking about it, those of us that are enamored with harness racing are but a miniscule percentage of the population who REALLY care about such accomplishments.

The REAL reason that the vast majority of patrons are involved in harness racing is THEY CAN BET ON IT!

Like one bettor, Gary Anderson from Pompano, said at a simulcasting venue, “I could care less about a world record. It doesn’t affect me one iota. I care about cashing a ticket and have a lot of fun trying to do so.”

The vast majority of bettors agree and complain that the length between races is painfully long.

One admitted degenerate laughed and said, “Put two ‘cock-a-roaches’ on a street between races and I’ll be right there betting on them!”

That may be a sad commentary about the state of our world but it’s a commentary to which we should pay heed.

“I’d rather see 15 races on a program rather than eight or 10 any day…as long as they can do ‘em quicker,” he said.

“I’m at an age now where the (nighttime) tracks lose me after around 10:00.

“I might get seven or eight races in by then…but I’m game for a dozen if they can squeeze ‘em in.”

Of course, with the proliferation of simulcasting, tracks try—but not always succeed—not to “step on another track’s post times”…but that doesn’t seem to matter to most bettors.

Anderson further made the point that he sticks with one track because “it’s just too confusing to tangle with all that’s going on!”

Bettors, whether they are at the track, at simulcasting or home on the couch, can make their wagers in a timely fashion and, these days, a ‘shut out’ at any mutuel window or on a phone or computer line is very rare.

Even though the standardbred has performed the “fastest” in our history, harness racing is one of the slowest sports as far as action goes with too many minutes between races while other action continues on other venues, whether it take place on the slots floor, poker table, during football season, a baseball game, a hoops game or a hockey game, among other sports.

And with prop bets allowing for minute-by-minute betting decision, harness racing its being left at the post!

With a spin every three seconds or so, a slot machine player, on a 50-cent machine, is playing $10 a minute! (That’s $600 an hour with the churn!)

Now, imagine someone betting on a $5 machine (or more). That’s $100 per minute! (And I’ve witnessed $250 (or more) per spin plays—$5,000 per minute!!!)

That’s $300,000 an hour with the churn!

Poker hands are dealt with little interruption with action continuing with the “flop” and the “turn.”

In football, there is a play every 30 seconds or so with a prop bet offering a buffet of choices on which to plunk a fin or a sawbuck for the “punter.”

Same thing in baseball…from the next pitch being a ball or a strike to whether the batter will get a hit or make an out or whether the over-under in runs is, for example 7 1/2. There are props for that, too, as the ultimate fan looks for action.

Will King James score 40 points tonight or will Judge hit a homer tonight…as as the prop offered in the Super Bowl, will Mahomes throw over or under 2 1/2 touchdown passes (no ties in that one).

Harness racing is lucky to have a per-capita of $100 at some tracks…and, for a four-hour racing program…that figures out to about 42 CENTS a minute!

Yes, there was only one Bulldog Hanover last season and, maybe, a couple of hundred more horses capable of a 1:50 performance…probably enough fill a couple of racing cards at one track two or three times a week.

It’s the other 20,000 (estimated) trotters and pacers that keep the sport going at the mutuel windows and those bettors are interested in cashing their tickets on them, whether the are $4,000 claimers or NW of $3,001 last five starts!

They are the lifeline of harness racing as far as our bettors are concerned…and the bettors complain that they have to wait an eternity for the next race at their home track…and the track, as one bettor sighed, “does nothing for us as an incentive to come back.”

Maybe a “7-11” program would work for harness racing with post parades seven minutes after a race goes official with races every 11 minutes.

Some, of course, will complain it can’t be done….but just take a look off times in qualifiers…10 minutes…11 minutes…maybe 12…

In speaking with one track superintendent recently, he said “I, probably, can get a track ready in eight or nine minutes with maybe a couple of extra every third or fourth race to keep the track nice and tight with the water trucks!

“After all, we’re on the track once the horses get past the 3/4 pole before (some the quarter pole) so, barring any situations, we can get the ball rolling very quickly.”

But there are two sides to every story and Adolph W. of Chicago sees a problem saying, “…the horse population is shrinking, and many tracks can’t fill 12 or 13 or 15 races.

“I remember when we had more than 50,000 (horses) starting every year and, now, we aren’t even close to that.

“The situation is only going to get worse as the heavy speed takes a toll on horses, especially aged horses.”

The fastest of the young ones are gone by the age of four and many of the older ones just can’t sustain that speed forever…well, maybe Southward Amazon!

Adolph further points out that the days of the trainer-driver are largely gone now and it’s nothing but speed, speed, speed these days.

Driver-trainers try and take care of their horses on the track while the go-go guys only care about the next 1:50 or just getting to the wire first at any cost.

No matter what race time is, bettors are going to “send it in.” Whether it’s 25 minutes or 11 minutes, the bettors will “send it in.”

Of course, nothing is going to change in terms of the current atmosphere and The Meadowlands and Northfield Park don’t seem to have any problem with their over-stuffed cards, which is great. And you can, probably, add Indiana and Central Ohio to the list when they get going, as well, but racing is getting tougher and tougher in arenas of financial stability and speed as other venues offer those instant gratification wagers.

Harness racing, in fact, all forms of pari-mutuel racing, are fortunate to have survived this far with some “bites” of 25 percent to more on some wagers.

Isn’t it about time to put some of our great talent in this sport to better use?

Edison “The Mad” Hatter can carry the torch a long way for many decades and, most certainly, apply his genius to create prop bets and future lines for our sport bringing to fore our most interesting and creative highlights.

Up north of the border, Nathan Bain can do the same thing.

From Hollywood Heyden to the two Heathers…from Wendy Ross to Pandy…from Jessica Hallett to Walt with the W-L-D-C-Z-Y AND K in his last name…from James Witherite to Mark Hall…and let’s not forget two “poker faced” writers named “Ace” and “Trey” that are having an impact on our sport with their innovative journalistic skills.

There are, I am sure, many, many more.

So, it comes down to this…whether we have 10 races or 15 on a racing night, it’s imperative that harness racing come up with innovations and timely off times to keep our precious bettors glued together…from start to finish!!

There’s no reason that a 10-race card beginning at 8:00 p.m. can’t be complete within a tick or two at 9:48—that’s one hour and 48 minutes—yes, 1:48…

by John Berry, for Harnesslink