Trotter Bob said...

Well said, Allan! Focus groups are common in so many businesses, but I'm not sure tracks use them for answers to racing's problems. How could you hope to succeed when you don't know what would get people to the track?

I'm one of those who thinks racing on the mile track helped kill casual fan interest. Tough to get involved with something you can't see. Half-mile tracks create unfair conditions, even though fans can see the horses. That makes the five-eighths track a good compromise.

I'd also target the passing lane (on any size track) as another reason people lose interest. The races don't have as much action. Most people don't want to watch horses going single file as drivers sit, sit, sit, saving their horse for an inside trip up the stretch.

posted at 8:13 PM on Jul 9th 2008

Bill Mulligan said...

Taking a step backwards is generally not the way to get ahead. I would be in favor of doing all that Allen has suggested because that's the racing I grew up with. However, I don't believe it will attract the 20 year olds of today to the track. They have a different lifestyle and threshold of excitement and many sources of such attracting them. I just don't believe horse racing competes effectively as other forms of excitement available to them!

Let's face it even though we don't want to. We are in the business of gambling not horseracing. Gambling dollars made horse racing possible as we knew it in the old days and these same dollars make it possible today in most all cases. Only the sources have changed. What attracted people then was the fact that it was the only legal place for people to place a bet. There was no other legal competition for the casual bettors dollar. Quite a different enviorment today! There are many legal ways to gamble. Therefore,
it is up to us to develop a competive product to attract gamblers. We need to make betting on horses as easy and comfortable as going to the casinos and playing the slots or buying a lottery ticket at the local convience store. Only then in my opinion will we attract more people to our "sport"
Also I might add Goshen attracts terrific crowds probably because they have racing once a year for one week.

posted at 7:27 PM on Jul 9th 2008

Bob Marks said...

As one of the "prescient" people you refer to, I can assure you there is absolutely no consolation in being a partial prognosticator of the state of affairs to which we have evolved.

Not sure if I know "Allan" but his thoughts are very relevant in regards to fan perceptions and like it or not, we are where we are due to the erosion of a once fertile fan base.

posted at 1:52 PM on Jul 9th 2008

Allan said...

I'd suggest getting a bunch of casual fans, the ones that bet $2 a race and attend periodically together to see what they would do to make the racing experience better.

Forget about the heavy gamblers, they are already in the game and short of doing something totally stupid, they will remain active.

Forget the track executives, they won't admit it but they have already given up and are just trying to ride this out until retirement.

Forget about the owners, trainers and drivers. For the most part, as long as the slot money is there, they will ride this gravy train for as long as possible and then get out.

The casual two dollar bettor is the future of harness racing (racing in general). We all started out as a casual two dollar bettor and some of us then became heavier bettors and/or became involved in the sport as a track employee or owner. Some us remained a two dollar bettor who just came to the track regularly instead of periodically.

Don't think the casual bettor of today is the salvation of harness racing? I was at Goshen Historic Track on July 5 and you couldn't find a seat in the place; people were standing along the rail going up the stretch. Yes, a place where narry a dime was wagered. You had older people, younger people and people with children there. These people are the ones who have a positive view of harness racing and are supporting the sport now or will be in the future unless we chase them away.

Then again, many of us don't want to hear what these casual players want. It goes contrary to what we want to hear. For example:

They probably want racing on a 1/2 mile and not on the mile track. What is more exciting, being able to see up close without binoculars the excitement of a horse moving three wide in the backstrech where you can take it all in yourself, or on a mile track where everything looks like ants and you can't tell who is who and the running numbers are not current? For some of these people, if you are going to be on a mile track you may as well play the lottery or even the t-breds; you can't get involved visually like you can on the half mile track.

They probably want us to go back to the old A, B, C classified system of racing instead of the conditioned racing we are doing now where you practically need to be a lawyer to read the also eligble conditions. Classified racing makes handicapping easier for the casual fan which will allow them to gain more interest in the sport. After all, nothing like winning periodically to make someone more interested.

On the wagering front, while they want to be able to win big money, they also don't have the resources to successfully play the pick 4, 6, etc regullarly; these wagers are geared toward the heavy hitters. How about reintroducing some simpler wagers like the quinella? True, you are not going to win big big money, but odds are if you hit the quinella, you will make more than a win wager will pay and for $2, you can win regardless of what order they come in (with relative ease). I know people will say they can play an exacta box, but you are complicating things for the casual bettor.

Most are probably cringing when you saw the items about half mile racing and classified racing. We all call for 'change' but the second someone wants to change something that impacts us directly, then we say 'wait a minute'. This is the crux of the problem; why people for years have been complaining about having to save the sport and nothing being done. Unless we are all willing to make changes, the sport will never grow.

Are you willing to make changes?

posted at 8:50 AM on Jul 9th 2008