I find myself playing an app on my phone quite a bit. It's called trivia crack. A question is asked and multiple choice answers are given. For instance, one might ask our industry:
What shortage is Ontario racing experiencing more of:
1) purse money offered
2) race dates
3) horses
4) owners
Now this is a bit unfair, because the question is subjective and one could argue chicken and the egg all day.
Obviously the biggest question being asked with great concern in Ontario and quietly south of the border is how can we re-brand or re-vamp our industry that makes it competitive for all participants and marketable to gaming enthusiasts.
Gamblers will tell you 'less of a takeout from operators', and or better incentives for their dollars or stiffer penalties for people caught attempting to circumvent rules and regulations.
Horsemen will tell you if they raced for more money they could attract more investment and make a better living (reminiscent of our slots era).
More race dates are frequently brought up but look around, the government inadvertently (or not) has reduced our horse population to its lowest in decades.
I won't be discussing where many of our horses "went" but to put the recent shortage into perspective, we now have the Amish claiming horses out of our lowest trot claiming races. This is not a funny embellishment, I'm speaking quite literally.
Racetrack operators would love more money but are saying we have massive shortages making it difficult in their eyes to put forward competitive fields.
Owners can't purchase horses with any confidence of purse structure, class availability or even the hint of racing on a regular basis. Even a trainer with a great plan and a sharp pencil can't map out a business plan that even the riskiest investor could get behind.
Since this my blog I will tell you what I think would help everyone. Now I have to be upfront with you...I have never operated a racetrack, and have no background in marketing or gaming. Take what you read with a grain of salt. These words won't change anything but as always I hope a healthy debate ensures and we can at least have a discussion about where we would all like to see this industry end up, because to me, it's not heading in a great direction.
I'm going to start with full competitive fields in Ontario.
Our wagering has done well across the board over the past year and I think we can all agree that our product as a whole is slipping. So how can we get more horses here so we can fill classes?
I have spoke out many times about what I feel would be the easiest solution. Simply ask people. We know what we don't have and we do shockingly still have people that can get horses here. Why not ask? If we need more claimers....ask people to go out and get them.
The biggest issue is owners and trainers don't believe they can get raced on a regular basis. If racetracks and trainers had a better line of communication this could be easily attained.
If we catalogued in 'real time' what horses are available to race now in Ontario, we could fill the void easily by knowing where the void is and by challenging trainers and investors to help fill it.
What I mean is, if we need three $30,000 claimers to start this class going with 10 or more every week, approach the claiming trainers and owners while at the same time alerting the industry that if we get these horses they will have an opportunity to race every week.
If we get to a point where we are seeing increases in horses and investment; wagering should increase? No?
We need to make substantial marketing and advertising investments also. Look no further that what Greg Blanchard, 'Sugar' Doyle and the Western Fair staff have done this year. Wagering is up and people are coming out to "The District".
There is no quick fix here but 10 dimes still make a dollar and The District is working hard for their dimes.
Now getting new gamblers to wager on our product is a tough nut to crack. We are online these days but 'in your face' is a must and with mobile apps everywhere, we should be able to at least reach more potential clients.
I think we can all agree we need to market our sport better. Jack Darling showed us all last year anything is possible when you approach people and simply ask for their help. We need help getting this sport mainstream and I'm sure their are plenty of innovative ideas to help us get there.
The generation we need to appeal more to is geared against watching their money at work every 20 minutes or more. They want more action, quickly. As a driver and someone who speaks to a wide swath of our industry, I can say with confidence that race card length is a big problem. I certainly haven't 'crunched' any numbers on race card length in relation to wagering but I know the last thing worth watching for over three hours was the movie Titanic and I only went once! LOL
Does our handle struggle when we speed up the races? What is an acceptable time frame for a gambler in the 2015 to gamble at our tracks? Again, I'm sure people are answering these questions, I would hope.
How do we retain integrity? To a lament I could sound hypocritical in preaching integrity given my current circumstance but I trust our system and its mechanisms and am confident that in the near future this will be resolved in a fair manner.
What about "others"? People who have attempted to "skirt" our rules, and circumvent laws. We are funded now by the public purse and are working for the very same public's wagering dollars as all other gaming entities. We have to be accountable.
I would say anyone caught using non-therapeutic drugs on horses to gain an advantage should be suspended indefinitely and their case referred to the authorities. We have to start showing people on both sides of the fence that cheating won't be tolerated.
We need to find a way for all jurisdictions to work together. This problem didn't start in Ontario and won't be contained in Ontario. This is easier said than done as different as pacts of racing are spread out over provincial, state and federal jurisdiction in North America.
That fact is we need to do better and we need to do it quick. Quick and government don't usually go well together but we need to push for an expedited process or it may all be too late.
You haven't read anything necessarily new today but I can say that I'm a bit frustrated that we haven't seen any movement on a unified horsemen group our any cohesion across the board on many topics at all. Maybe I'm wrong but as a participant in this industry, I don't feel very informed. I don't see anything on the horizon and I'm still left wondering, "what is next", "where are we headed"?
If we have learned anything from Jack Darling, Greg Blanchard, or Sugar Doyle, it's that things can be achieved by small groups our singular people and waiting for someone else to do it more times than not ensures it won't get done.
Where is the leadership in our industry? Where is the communication? How do we move forward?
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The views presented in Trot Blogs are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Standardbred Canada.
My 2 cents worth with regard
My 2 cents worth with regard to what we need. I play strictly the WEG product and aspire to be an owner one day soon. I work hard at it...taping and pouring over race videos for hours so I see a lot of things many probably don't. Mr. Riga has got it right to a great extent about the "non-moving" races where it seems no one wants to win. Here's a novel idea judges...ASK! Heaven help drivers if they give me a job as a judge because they'd be ASKED...over and over and fined if the answer wasn't satisfactory. Repeat offenders fines would escalate eventually leading to suspension and probation after suspensions were served. Please don't take this the wrong way driver colony but it seems there's too much "family" style driving that cannot be tolerated. Some of the things I've witnessed should have a "zero tolerance" policy attached. You can't be letting in your brother or leaving drivers to cut 1.01 1/5 to the half as happened last week...does no one have a stopwatch or look at the plain to see fractions posted around the track? Giving up the pocket??? Too often this happens...everyone makes mistakes but you need to find another line of work if you're making too many! Drive to win and stop messing around with the game or we ALL will have to find another line of work! ORC...if you're listening...please...give me the job but if not...start ASKING!!
Mr Leber, Respectfully, some
Mr Leber,
Respectfully, some facts need to be ironed out.
The Signature Alliance tracks or as you call them "B" can race for a maximum of 65K per day. If they can't fill the fields which are written by Ian Fleming, then they get filled with the 5 k claimers as you speak of.
WEG is writing more 8 and 10 K claimers especially in winter hence a shortage for the feeder tracks which should be were they develop.
You speak of GCGC cutting back, specifically it has nothing to do with them. The Alliance funds all racing operations, based on the handle it generates, GRD was given the prorate share of race days. Georgian is up against too much competition in the summer months to generate anything of material and the location is not good. The track however is outstanding.
Mr MacDonald, everyone is applauding Western, numbers are good, but it's all non domestic bet at 3% commission which goes to the Alliance and doesn't fund a hill a beans. WEG holds all the betting licenses for all the Alliance tracks, only they can sell their signals (JVA's) to simulcast partners. I was at Western a couple of weeks ago, and 25 patrons in the facility, with a bar that carries 2 overpriced beers and NO toteboard?? is a rousing success? I would think not as far as the ontrack experience goes and that's where the money is (20+ % Commission)
The question should be asked why Flamboro's numbers are not up if WEG is pushing the signal. It should have the same net effect and help the Alliance (Industry(. I also see that Flamboro just started guaranteeing their Win 4 and Western has done it all along...If this is WEGS responsibility...it's again strange...we will see what happens when GRR and GRD takeover.
There is still too much product for the everyday fan like myself. I hang on to my betting dollars tighter than ever when all the fines, suspensions and horses winning in lifetime marks that defy logic...
Lots wrong in the game, little has changed over the last few years.
Betting is up from last year.
Betting is up from last year. This is in no small part due to the HI 5 bet. The carryover is closing in to 600k. Western is doing good things and benefit from the fact that some nights they are the only track to wager on in Ontario. Western is in a farm community and that is where people still go to the track.
There are shortages in all classes of horses. It stems from the poor purses at B tracks and since there is no "farm league" (pun) there are shortages at WEG. It will get worse because breeding is down over 50%. Either we will be reduced to even fewer tracks or inferior horses will be the stars. When the Americans see that they will bring their US bred horses and win everything.
Leadership was mentioned and to be fair it is also followers that are needed. There are some people putting in the time but the racing community is so busy scratching out a living, they just haven't got the time. They used to have assistants but they are disappearing because there is no money.
We all knew there were going to be adjustments. It is still gonna go down from here until it reaches the point when the big guys at WEG start to lobby for more money. GCGC has cut back in a big way. Georgian is the biggest crime of the century. No racing there is probably one of the single biggest shortages in the game.
Keep the thoughts coming-Anthony, write your blog a bit more often please.
Georg Leber-ICR Racing
Thank you for your insight Mr
Thank you for your insight Mr Irving.
I think, shortage of local
I think, shortage of local small racetracks. We had small crowds and low mutual handle. The fans came week in week out. The knew the horses. They knew the owners , the grooms and everyone involved. It was fun. I don't enjoy going to woodbine racetrack to see the races, the fans are so far away from the horses. Owners don't even get into the winners circle, such a shame. Nothing like getting out to the rail and see the horses warm up and post parade. I also think that after one week of the hi five jackpot has not been won, another horse should be added to the race. So for example from ten to eleven then twelve and so on.
In reply to I think, shortage of local by horsingaround60
So much to reply to. Starting
So much to reply to.
Starting with Mr Scott. While I agree with the lack of connection between fans and winner's circle etc.... more small tracks spreads the betting dollars thinner than it already is. One can't make a $50 win bet at Kawartha, Dresden, Sarnia, Leamington or any of them small tracks because you will be 1/4 of the win pool and shoot your own odds down by a ton. Accessibility is not gonna save the money losing proposition most small tracks are. Ontario has more harness tracks than Florida and California has..... COMBINED but only 1/8th the population. Hard to see how these are gonna be self supporting
Mr Riga. TOTALLY agree with your Meadowlands assessment. I watched a race that had 6 different leaders and second over flow....the entire race. Single file at Woodbine with one guy challenging the leader before half..... boring. Gets worse at the half miler. If less than even money makes the lead, no one pulls due to "front end respect". This leads to low payouts and that doesn't help bring back fans.
Mr Leber. Im not an owner, so I really dont have an opinion either way... but the claiming game needs to return and soon.
Mr Gutz. If the casinos were not placed where they were, the only conversation we would have would be about WEG,
Western Fair and maybe a couple of other tracks. Its VERY fair for casinos to be where they are, they saved harness. If theywere built in stand alone locations, most tracks wwould have closed.
for me.... there is a shortage of bettable races. Watching all these less-than-even money favorites hitting the board at small tracks, stinks. These tracks with less than $20k wagered on an entire card? No point. They dont generate near enough income to support themselves. It's kinda hypocritical that are complaining that one part of their business isnt sustainable but wanna stay racing, expect the racetrack owners to stay open when part of their business isnt sustainable.
Also, I got laughed at when I said good promotions, from giveawaya, to contests to more involvement from all those in the game towards the fans was the key to building a good ontrack experience and brings back the fans. Look at Western Fair and tell me I am wrong. They are getting ten times the people they had 5-7 years ago. They are creating racefans for the future. They have earned all the respect they are getting. Horseman have taken note and the racing and pools have improved greatly. They are getting pools in the $300k-$500k range but only giving out $60k-$80k in purses. Bettable, quality product.
SO that means my three shortages are bettable races, entertaining races, pools big enough to bet.
If there was another choice
If there was another choice to the question "which shortage is worse?" I would choose "the worse shortage is leadership." There is no shortage of blame. Correct the leadership and the rest will follow accordingly.
Mr. Leber make some very
Mr. Leber make some very valid points. The powers that be would be wise to take note.
Realize this Joe. It's all
Realize this Joe. It's all smoke and mirrors. In order to watch races or download programs from other tracks, you must bet certain amounts. The occasional fan is left out, so he finds something else to do. Western Fair may be the exception. They send out their signal to the U.S. and promote betting. Others don't. Why not?
I am an owner of 29 horses.
I am an owner of 29 horses. Half are broodmares and babies and some are on the track. I got into racing at exactly the wrong time, 4 years ago. The rug was pulled out from under the business by our current government-no secret there and no reason when you see what nonsense they spend our money on (subject for another day).
I have also made it a priority to race more at WEG. Anything that can race there will and the rest will be culled from my barn. Why? Racing at the B tracks is fun but you will lose money all day long. Each horse costs between $3000 and $5000 a month to race. B tracks have purses on average of $4500 so you have to win 2 a month to win money (not even close to realistic). Let me put this in context with the Integrity issue that many have raised. If the purse is $5000 and the prize money distribution is 50%-25%-12%-8%-5% for 1st thru 5th, the drivers make $125 for a win and as little as $12.50 for 5th. You can only put that in front of of owner, drivers and trainers for so long before they are tempted to bet against their own horses. It won't be simple Win Place and Show that are affected. It is a lot easier to bet exotics and have a couple of longer shots win or a huge HI 5 payout with a favourite not in the money. If you think it's not a possibility, you are naive.
Second there are a total lack of claiming races. More races should have claiming tags added to the condition so more horses can enter the race. Many times I have struggle with moving a horse up one or two classes but if there was a claiming tag offered I would risk it and it would help fill the race. Make it a standard. that way you can plan for the future and not wait to see what the condition might be. Here is an example FM NW $6000 LAST 5 OR $12,000 LAST 10 PURSE $14,000. Sometimes there is a condition of $15,000 claiming (too high) other times there is not. How can you plan if it is hit and miss? Every condition should have a claiming price-something that makes it a risk to enter and lose the horse. Why not something like 90% of the purse as an example. In that above race an owner could put the horse in for a claiming price of $12,600 plus allowances. Every night there would be claiming and very possibly new owners.
That's enough from me
Georg Leber-ICR Racing
No "shortage" for the
No "shortage" for the handicappers!12 harness tracks to bet on today.Add in thoroughbreds and there is almost 40 tracks.18 hours of racing. :)))
You want my betting dollars?Then evolve your game or perish.
Bring in the RCMP or SPCA to
Bring in the RCMP or SPCA to deal with the integrity issue. Jail time is a great deterant. We need real help from our "leaders" not lip service.
Integrity or rather the lack
Integrity or rather the lack of it is certainly a big issue that needs to be addressed if we want to attract new customers to racing. The fact of the matter that trainers who have been caught with positive tests, receive a modest fine and a two week or 30 day suspension is absolutely ridiculous. Increase the fines and the suspension period and the problem is more likely to be resolved to some degree. I, personally like the three times and out rule. Three positive tests and the trainer should no longer have a license to train race horses. I agree with Mr. Decker that the onus is on the ORC, as the governing body, to clean up the sport.The "chemists" have no place in our business. As for attracting new customers, we need to be more pro-active in the promotion of the sport and one of the ways to achieve that is by retaining a professional marketing agency to create ads and televise them on all the major TV channels. The thoroughbreds do this as does NASCAR, the NBA, the NFL and other major sport franchises. If we don't pursue this, our customer base will gradually shrink to the point where horse racing will no longer become a viable entity. As we are now a "gov't subsidized" business, this is crucial for our survival in Ontario. It also remains to be seen whether the gov't will renew the current contract with horse racing. My fear is that as gov't changes, so will gov't policies and attitudes toward racing.
Just for the record integrity
Just for the record integrity is not limited to catching those people who use drugs or whatever else to enhance horse performance. It also applies to drivers. Here's a suggestion, why not actually race to win as opposed to taking your horse for a nice stroll around the track to simply pick up a cheque. I have said it many times on this forum that picking up a cheque while it's all nice for the horse connections does absolutley nothing for the bettor.
I usually watch racing through an HPI account every Saturday night. I watch the Meadowland and Woodbine. However I only bet on the Meadowlands racing and the reason is quite simple. Those drivers are out to win each and every race. If Yannik Gingras can win one race he'll win one. If he can win 5 he'll win 5. The same applies to Tetrick, Miller, Campbell and on and on.
I have great confidence laying my money down on those guys because it does not matter if they are 1-5, 50-1 or somewhere in between. THEY GO. And I at least have the assurance of knowing I will get a good shake for my money. Now I switch over to WEG and what do I see? A parade of horses around a track with very lttle movement, guys don't pull, and on and on. I see this from guys who are 50-1 and I have seen it from guys who are 1-5. It's always the same.
You ask us gamblers to gamble? Give us a fair shake for our money and just maybe we will. If not, there are plenty of alternatives. Woodbine is no longer the only show in town and soon they'll be reduced to just being ignored altogether. I know that's how it is for me and for many fellow gamblers that I know.
truthful comments,the
truthful comments,the competition for the gambling dollars is unfair to all horsemen when a casino sits next to the betting windows and most go to the machines,however government should listen to where the bit sits rather than where the office quaterbacks sit dictating revenue distribution, the western fair race philosophy shows that revenue is earned and not given by their hard working efforts to maintain and promote this great industry that needs a major rethinking of their business plans.
I agree with Ted. The
I agree with Ted. The problem is not with the government. It is with the ORC. They not only determine fines and suspensions, but also determine race dates, claiming levels and purses. In my opinion, they are not doing a good job. A revamp is in order. John Snobelen, where are you?
Start charging the trainers
Start charging the trainers using performance enhancing drugs or tranquilizers with fraud as is happening in other jurisdictions. That will do it
Why would you want any more
Why would you want any more Govt in racing?
Look what they have messed up already.
One idea for increased revenue would be to have a daily race that would be moved to various tracks and with a pool from many tracks.Example on Saturday,pick the winners of 10 races at Track A and on sunday track B and so on.The pool would carry over.
Mr MacDonald you said a
Mr MacDonald you said a mouthful when you mentioned integrity. There isn't much in racing today and getting the trust of the public back may never happen. You speak of your current situation (its beyond me as to why such a black and white case has not yet been resolved) and perhaps harsher penalties for violators is the answer. If and when the ORC rules on your current positive test are you prepared to accept the result without endless stays and continuences? I read SB Canada's fines and suspensions daily and I can tell you that the message is not getting out as there are weekly listed positive tests. Most end up being a slap on the wrist,a weeks suspension and right back doing the same thing, cheating the public. The government needs to totally revamp the ORC and put someone in charge that isn't afraid to cleanup racing and hold its participants accountable.Until this happens you will be writing your blog and asking the same questions over and over.