Ideas For Growth

Hi Jack, I have been reading about your concerns about the declining interest in racing. I too am very concerned about this. I live in Woodstock, and have seen the attendance deteriorate significantly in the past few years. I have lots of ideas to boost attendance and make the racing days more enjoyable but unfortunately no one will take the time to listen to me. I take that as not only a personal insult as a paying customer but apparently management does not see a problem in this matter, therefore I guess my attendance will not be missed if I dont show up. Ultimately this has left me discouraged, and frustrated. It is very hard to lose the passion for my passion.

Model Success, make Harness Racing a Sport.

The audience for harness racing and associated gambling revenues has declined across North America because more competition, sports, entertainment and gambling alternatives, have emerged and prospered to capture hearts, disposable time and income.

I would create strategies to reverse this decline and start by modeling the success of the competition, the sports and other entertainment and gambling alternatives.

How does the competition encourage a lifetime of participation?

A study of the competition is the starting point for the development of winning strategies for the sport of Harness Racing. Model success! Once the reasons for the success of the competition are understood the harness racing industry could then create and support strategies to get people involved in the sport of Harness Racing.

So who is the competition? A quick list of some of these follow. Many on this list are a sport; all on this list are associated with huge entertainment and/or gambling revenues.

Baseball
Basketball
Football
Golf
Nascar
Hockey
Soccer
Lotteries
Casinos
Online Poker

For example, I would start by listing participation at a young age for all the sports as one of the reasons for their ongoing success.

A 12 year-old plays organized hockey, goes to a provincial tournament, gains a better understanding and appreciation for the sport and then when in his twenties he pays to watch a professional version of the sport, watches hockey on TV etc. They understand the game. Many, not all, then end up betting on their favorite teams, through a sports lottery, like Sports Select, fantasy leagues, by participating in a playoff pool or by making a bet with a friend or by betting at a sports book, or at a casino.

Participation at a young age, as an amateur, ultimately leads to the support of the professional side. Now how do you turn this into a strategy for Harness Racing?

Create a foundation based on widespread participation at the amateur level at a young age as a family outing. Get people behind a horse, let them participate, put them behind the "wheel".

For starters I would get youth, amateurs riding behind a race horse at a young age, form amateur leagues and create championship extravaganzas at race tracks and training facilities. In effect older standardbreds would find a new home, employment would be created to run these leagues, to teach amateurs how to drive. Available capacity at race tracks and training centres would be employed. Harness Racing Entertainment Centres would become the place to bring the family!

Broad amateur, family participation, would boost the understanding and appreciation for Harness Racing. The natural progression would a greater following for the professional side of Harness Racing.

Model all the aspects of success of the competitors and make Harness Racing a true Sport and the wagering will follow and the professional side will prosper!

get george foreman to be spokesman he races with george teague.keep takeout the same but free programs that the print is big enough to read w/o squinting.have interviews with trainers n drivers before n after races to talk about their horses.i watch tvg alot an they have exactorman on for woodbine an he does a good job of showing people how to handicap.i know everyone is busy with a barn full of horses drivers are driving more than one track on most days but invite people out to qualifers n have trainers n drivers speak to them so it gets more personable.

Do we need people at the track ? Just my opinion but take out seems to mean nothing . Take out on lottery tickets is around 60 % but people still buy them by the bundle . Should we promote horses ? should we able to buy a ticket @ a local lottery terminal? we better figure out how to attract followers since appears harness raciny is in critical state and no one is calling 911 . How much work would it take to list local horses and their trainers in promotions around town ? when trucking in to woodbine or any track have the horses name on the trailor with the location of the track . these ideas and a million more from the grassroots will get people interested .

takeout means nothing to patrons of racing , few even know what it is . We all buy lottery tickets and the takeout there is close to 60% .If we embrace our new world of electronics ,promote our product and find new ways to let the public gamble on our product we will survive. Do we need ten thousand fans in the stands or should 200,000 fans be able to buy a ticket on their favourite horse at a any lottery terminal in Canada . how many people would buy lottery tickets if they had to go to a place to watch the draw . Lets think of new ways to increase our handle and our exposure . should we have a channel for horse racing that doesn`t have a price tag on it . would we watch the news if we had to pay for it. i`m sure there are ten million other ideas out there as well to give our buisness a boost. hope we see some of them.

Here are a few thoughts from a first time poster. People still love to watch races. Proof of this is that NASCAR is one of the most popular sports in the U.S. right now. (I am not a NASCAR fan by the way.) NASCAR is similar to horse racing in many ways. It involves racing around an oval. It requires mechanics who, like trainers, work behind the scenes to get the cars up to their optimum speed. It involves professional drivers who are the face of racing. So why is NASCAR so popular while horse racing seems to be losing its followers? I think it is because NASCAR markets the personalities of the drivers and teams. Everyone has a favorite NASCAR driver or team. Also, NASCAR markets rivalries between the drivers and teams. Fans love a good rivalry. In baseball, it is the Red Sox/Yankees have been rivals for decades. In the NBA, Coby Bryant v. LeBron James. In college football, one of the biggest rivalries was Woody Hayes at Ohio State vs. Bo Schembechler at Michigan. Both are dead, yet the intense feelings for the game each year live on. In golf, Phil Mickelson vs. Tiger Woods.

Who are the big rivals in harness racing? Which drivers are rivals of each other? Where are the drivers in the points standings? Who is coming on? Which horses are rivals of each other? What stable really "needs" a big win right now? How does the driver/trainer/owner feel about the competition in the next upcoming race? NO ONE KNOWS! The horse racing industry does not do enough to personalize the contests. As far as most of the general public is concerned, a driver whose name they know but whom they would not recognize on the street is racing a horse they definitely could not recognize again for a trainer they have never seen and an owner they may not even be able to identify due to use of a stable name. And we wonder why there is a lack of interest? Some horse just won a race. Unless a fan has a winning ticket, who really cares? They are not emotionally invested in the impact a win or loss might have on a horse/driver/trainer/owner.

The industry needs to make this all more personable. Most tracks have a big screen in the infield that could be used for interviews between races. How good does the winning driver/trainer/owner feel? How bad does the driver/trainer/owner of the horse that got held up second over behind a slowing horse feel? Did a driver park someone outside on purpose? Isn't that amazing the $10,000 yearling purchase is up against the blue bloods this race? Was it good strategy in hindsight to go to the lead early? What equipment changes did the trainer make? How does it work? People love thinking they are getting the inside scoop.

In baseball/football/basketball and hockey they play music in between innings/quarters/periods to keep people excited. Radio and tv stations know even a few seconds of dead air time means people will switch channels and they have lost their customer. We regularly have 15 minutes of pure dead time between races. Music and behind the scenes interviews would help fill it. Think anyone would play slots if they had to sit and wait 15 minutes between pulling the handle? Would anyone play blackjack if they had to wait with nothing to do for 15 minutes between hands? How much fun would craps be if everyone had to stand around the table for 15 minutes with nothing to do between rolls? (Not much.)

The UFC (ultimate fighting) is also extremely popular right now. It has personalities. It has rivalries. People feel like they know each fighter. It has contests lasting a few minutes followed by some down time. If fills the time between fights with interviews video clips of the fighters getting ready to fight and interviews with those that just got done. The broadcasts show the fighters in their locker rooms getting last minute tips from their trainers. People pay $50 on pay per view just to watch.

Some people like the intellectual exercise of handicapping a race. (I do.) Others, like their bet to be easier, which explains why so many people like pulling a lever on a slot machine. There should be the regular program for handicappers and what I'll call the easier program for dummies. The easier program should be bare bones, just listing the horses/driver/trainers, along with a couple lines indicating how they did the last couple races, and the best reason or two why each one might be able to win this race. If they can't win it, the horse shouldn't be in the race to start with. I wouldn't have more than 8 or 9 horses in a race because novice handicappers will feel overwhelmed by the number of picks. Just like slots, they need to be able to hit some small wins on show bets to keep them interested.

People love the Little Brown Jug because they can go through the backstretch and actually see the horses and the flurry of activity between each race. Allow people back there, or at least get some cameras in the paddock for interviews or shots of the horses getting prepped. Its like seeing the crews in pit row do their magic.

Finally, people want to feel and sense the experience. NASCAR fans sit right at the track where they can feel the sound of the engines, smell the burning rubber and get a sense of the speed of the cars. Our fans need to be close (I mean right on top) of the track when visiting the track in person to smell the horses, hear the hoof beats and get some sense of the oncoming rush down the stretch. I love racing, but can't stand tracks where the horses are a block away and look like ants.

On TV or the internet, they need to see, hear and feel like they are at the races. The broadcast needs to be in HD. No one will watch blurry horses that look like they are racing in a dark fog. Watching a video feed that produces a clear picture only the size of a 4 x 6 index card and which routinely locks up is ridiculous. There need to be more camera angles, up close. Fans need to hear the sound of the hoofs like at the start of the race to get their hearts pounding. The NFL has satellite dishes on the sidelines to pick up the sound of hard hits and tackles. Put some cameras and microphones around the quarter poles and the finish line to pick this up. Hang a camera over the backstretch to get that view like in NFL games. Have a control booth that switches camera angles during the race. Imagine how that will look and sound on a 50 inch flatscreen tv at home with a subwoofer!

Given the present system of anonymous participants, competing at a distance that deprives all 5 senses of any particular stimulous, with a complicated program casual fans can't decipher, with regular extended downtimes with no entertainment being offered to the fans and broadcasting over the internet and tv with antiquated audio visual equipment giving a dark, blurry image from one angle far away from the action that routinely locks up is it any wonder the industry is in a downtrend? Its more of a wonder we are still around.

I totally agree with Jack that the opportunities in Ontario are tremendous. Quite frankly the opportunities have been tremendous for the past 25 years! It is my contention that the opportunities have yet to be realized because the Horseracing model in Ontario is terminally flawed.

Flaws in the model include (but not limited to):

*providing slot revenue without benchmarks or criteria, ultimately creating a disincentive for some operators to race

*having a provincial regulator who believes they should also be a partner in the industry, and a marketer of the industry along with regulating it…there by creating unhealthy relationships

*a federal regulator who is very slow to amend the laws of wagering regulations, which inhibit racetrack operators in offering different types of wagers which the customers/horseplayers are demanding
*the industry offering a product with a price point-Take out, that is totally out of whack with its gambling competition

* the constant dark cloud of integrity issues regarding on track performances

It is great to talk about ways to promote the industry and grow handle, but it will not be successful until the Horseracing MODEL is reworked to fit today’s environment. With a modern day model this wonderful game can thrive again. Without it, the industry will continue to shrink to irrelevance.

Shouldn't we start by determining what has caused the industry to deteriorate?
Lack of unity,leadership, respect and denying their is a serious problem is a part of our down fall.
We need a commissioner with the power to enforce our regulations.
A dress code,a code of conduct, colorful equipment.
Trailers and trucks should all be painted and lettered.
Why not learn from many other sports? Put a team of a dozen trainers together that would represent our province and challenge the Americans as well as other provinces to
compete against us!
We need to acquire sponsors, set schedules, upgrade with colorful equipment representing our province.
Challenge others to a series of races. Every member of each team would have to have identical equipment etc.
Have team races, have trainer challenges each other for a trophy.
We must appear to run a success operation.
There are many other ideas that have not been sought and should be.
Why not ask a university with a business marketing program to use us for a study?
Roll up our sleeves and get at it!
Bud Burke

WELL PUT VICTORIA THOMPSON - I REMEMBER WHEN IT WAS A SPECIAL EVENING OUT TO GO TO THE RACES. MY HUSBAND IS STILL WEARING A WATCH I WON AS A DOOR PRIZE AT MOHAKW 25 YEARS AGO AND I STILL HAVE A BEAUTIFUL NA CUP PIN FROM THE FIRST MILLION DOLLAR RACE AT GREENWOOD. BRING BACK THE DRESS CODE, THE COMFORTABLE TUB CHAIRS, THE MESSENGER BETTORS, THE GIVEWAYS AND THE GREAT MEALS SERVED IN THE DINING ROOM. WHEN THOSE AMENITIES WERE IN PLACE YOU COULD HARDLY GET A TABLE.

john carter

When you go back 20 to 40 years ago when harness racing was healthy a large part of the reason for that was other then bingo they were the only game in town, so if people like me wanted to gamble it was the races or bingo, not many other options, because of this racetracks were able to get away with excessive track takeouts because people by and large didn't have many other outlets.

However as we got into the mid to late nineties other forms of gambling became available largely because of the internet. Then in the last 5 or 6 years there has been the explosion in popularity of poker. Many of these other forms of gambling have a much fairer house take so the gambler gets a much better bang for his buck.

Now the problem with the majority in the race industry is they want to compete but they don't seem to understand that to compete you have to be competitive. Takeouts that range from 16% to 30% just doesn't cut it anymore. This is not the seventies and eighties and until the powers to be understand that they are going to continue to dig a hole that they may not be able to get out of.

Every now and then you hear somebody in the industry like Jeff Gural, Jack Darling or Peter Kyle step up to the plate and acknowledge that the excessive track takeout is killing any chance the industry has of competing with other forms of gambling but it seems there voices are lost because to many others who have power in the industry simply doesn't get it and probably never will until it is to late to reverse course.

If i were a sharp horseman and wanted this sport to survive either for the love of the game or so my kids could some day train or drive horses as a group i would be screaming at the top of my lungs for the industry to address the take out issue even if it meant taking a little less in the short term. This is one situation where less in the short term will prove to be much more in the long run.

Thank you Robert Irving! The slots deal is indeed like putting whipped cream on an onion. I couldn't have said it better myself. Not only does John Carter get it, but Mr. Irving by his comments is showing us all the long-term vision that should have been employed back in 1998 or whenever the slots deal was negotiated. All artificially inflated purses do is allow mediocre horses to pay their way and put more product on the track than there is a demand for. In a perfect world, slot money would have been nothing but a temporary crutch and racing would have been told (in all jurisdictions in North America, not just Ontario) by governments and gaming authorities, "We're giving you a hand up, now get your act together and compete!"
And not to sound like a broken record here but Peter Kyte is right. The bottom line is this. Horse racing exists as a sport/entertainment/industry because people GAMBLE ON IT! I am a casual bettor and may not be as qualified to comment on takeout rates as much as some other posters on here but I realize the importance of pricing your product right and rewarding your customer base fairly. No amount of giveaways, silly promotions, betting vouchers, starting gate rides, etc. is going to make one iota of difference as far as creating new fans goes. Some people will be drawn in by the speed, the competitiveness of the sport and the love of the horse yes. More importantly the intellectual challenge of handicapping a race has to be promoted. I agree with Jack, it's way more fun than pushing a button on a slot machine or buying a lottery ticket I might add. And of course bettors have to WIN once in a while!

I have been beting on horses for 35 years and just this week cancelled my subcription to HPI TV and also my betting account. Sick and tired of the takeout percentage and 3 to 5 shots being over driven and then stop like they have been shot. Hopefully the Meadowlands will survive because this is where at least you get flow in the race and most times every horse is in the race. My off shore account gives me 8% back on my exotic bets everyday, win or lose.

Jack's got the right perspective. All the points voiced by everyone are excellent but words alone will not get the job done. Action is what is needed.

Promote, promote, promote ... create brand awareness--yes, we do have a brand.

There's lots of ways to engage the public's attention to this fabulous sport (aside from the betting take-outs). I'm talking about special nights that would attract couples--too late for Valentine's Day. Giveaways, meet-and-greets etc. How many of the race attendees have even seen a sulky up close? Professionals should be consulted on effective ways to increase brand awareness.

I'd like to see a day when attending the track is up there among destination choices for a night out. We can compete. We can provide entertainment as exciting as any of the competition. Let's get going and promote ourselves!

I used to groan when the Burlington teen Tour band used to perform at Greenwood but at least the track was thinking of ways to attract youth.

The media is adequate but could do better as far as newspaper coverage is concerned.

Just a few random thoughts..but asa NIKE states, "Just do it."

Victoria

As usual anyone that knows that the takeout is too much, and there is nothing they can do about it because of the owners of the tracks are getting it all. Someone said the john carlo, once said that he could close the track down and only simulcast races and he would make more money,(I don't know if this is true), but if it is why don't we quit simulcasting and concentrate on the horses in our own states, at one time Det racing was 2nd or 3rd in the U.S.,and then the lottery came, then the casinos,and about the same time came simulcasting, there went the attendance, and the handle also.I can't beleive I am saying this because to me there is only 3 tracks too bet on, MEADOWLANDS,BALMORAL and WOODBINE OR MOHAWK. If the tracks have to concetrate on just there horses and if the purses get better ship ins, the track management would have to cater to the customers, and eventually racing come back to its natural habitat, and someone said less days make for better racing and better purses, then the newspapers and radios would promote it better, considering in MICH. harness racing isn't even in the newpapers anymore.
JUST OFFERING SOLUTIONS

MANY GOOD POINTS ARE MADE BY MR. DARLING. I BELIVE HARNESS RACING NEEDS TO PROMOTE IT'S CANADIAN HEROES. RECENTLY SEVERAL NON HORSE PEOPLE WHO KNOW OF MY INTEREST IN RACING HAVE SPOKEN TO ME ABOUT RACHEL ALEXANDRA AND ZENYATTA. THESE ANIMALS DO NOT EVEN HAVE ANY CANADIAN CONNECTIONS. IF A CANADIAN THOROUGHBRED WERE TO WIN THE TRIPLE CROWN OR EVEN THE DERBY IT WOULD BE A HOUSEHOLD NAME HERE. HOW CAN OUR WONDERFUL CANADIAN HARNESS HORSES AND DRIVERS GET THIS KIND OF COVERAGE? YOU WILL NOTICE DURING THE UPCOMING OLYMPICS HOW COMPETITORS IN THE MOST OBSCURE SPORTS BECOME WELL KNOWN BECAUSE THEY ARE CANADIANS BEATING OTHER COUNTRIES AND THIS WILL GENERATE INTEREST IN THAT SPORT. IF THE CANADIAN PUBLIC COULD BE MADE AWARE OF THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF HORSES LIKE SOMEBEACH AND DRIVERS LIKE JODIE J AND JOHN CAMPBELL PERHAPS THEY WOULD COME OUT TO THE RACES JUST TO SEE THEM AND FROM THERE BECOME INTERESTED IN WAGERING.HARNESS RACING NEEDS TO FIND A WAY TO CONNECT WITH THE SPORTS WRITERS (NO PUN INTENDED)AND CONVINCE THEM OF THE GREAT CANADIAN STORIES IN THE STANDARDBRED WORLD.

Kudos to John Carter for his comments about takeout percentages. They lead me to believe that he is on the short list of those that "get it". Horse racing, be it standardbred or thoroughbred, is about gambling and it's discouraging how few people realize it. Because of the ridiculous takeouts, it's become harder and harder for even professional gamblers to win. Most of them, like John Carter, now bet offshore or have switched to some other form of gambling or just don't bet at all. This mass exodus is the cause behind the declining trend in our wagering pools, even at the country's mecca of racing, Woodbine.

How does this industry expect to build new relationships when it has already done very little to accomodate those that were fans in the first place? I for one hope that, as an industry, we get it right this time, because harness racing is running out of chances.

I'm proud to say that I'm involved with a track at which, even without any manipulation of takeout percentages, wagering is up. I'm certain that the increase can be credited to the recent changes that we've implemented as a means of trying to make our product more gambler-friendly.

Sincerely,

Peter Kyte
Track Announcer
Western Fair Raceway
London, Ontario, Canada

I do not believe that horse racing at The Meadowlands or in New Jersey faces a pending death as some are prognosticating.

The new governor, Chris Christie, yesterday empanelled a new seven person commision to examine sports and the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and to report back with a recommended plan for a course of action.

While certain parties are throwing themselves that horse racing is not represented on this commission, I believe the construction of the committee is good news. First and foremost, there are no casino or casino-related persons on the commission. Second, each of the parties appointed, according my research, have no special or financial interest in the NJSEA or stand to be financially impacted by its report to the Governor. Thirdly, each of the appointees are reputable and successful individuals whom I believe have every reason to be objective and without bias.

The disbanded Transition Committee on Sports, Gaming and Entertainment was loaded and imbalanced with special interests – ie. 3 members from the casino industry, 3 individuals from the lottery, 3 individuals from major league sports television one from harness racing and two from association with the NJSEA. The resulting report that went to the Governor reflected the biases of the conflicted parties.;

Some of us have access to members of the commission as we know them personally. If they conclude with unfriendly conclusions for horse racing in NJ, it will not be because they were not informed about the impact of horse racing on the economy and the open air land preservation of NJ. They will also be well informed about the potential economic impact by diversified gaming at the three racetrack venues. Each of these commissioners have important reputations to protect. Accordingly, I am confident their report to the Governor will be based on a thoughtful, well informed and reasoned analysis and will include recommendations that are objectively derived.

Maybe, I am an optimist. But this is how I see it.

Whip cream on a onion!!

If the racing industry really wanted to save horse racing(1998) they would have brokered a deal that instead of taking a percentage of the slot money(tracks and participating horse people)they should have negotiated a deal that saw the handicappers pay less"take".The racing industry gets a sweet heart deal slot deal and the bettors got NOTHING.

Artificially increasing the purses doesn't bring bettors to the track!Value for the money does.

This greed has KILLED horse racing.

Jack Darlings ideas are terrific, however John Carter's comment really nails it. Former dean of race writers in the west, Don Fleming, used to rail against the "law of diminishing returns". As the take-out increases, the bettors go broke sooner. Reducing the take-out keeps them betting longer and therefore increasing the handle as they rebet their winnings. Don't they understand that?

Jack,

You are right about the 3 things the sport must do to survive. They must increase the fan base, the customer base and increase the handle because without an increase in handle the government will eventually stop at some point supporting the industry.

This is the first year in over 20 years that i am not playing woodbine or m'lands and i was a player that would fit into the whale category or close to it. I now am no longer willing to invest my gambling dollar in something where the track take out is completely outrageous. It is as close to legalized stealing as it gets. That may sound harsh but it is a fact. I now play other forms of gambling where the house hold is much more reasonable.

The young people today are much better educated when it comes to this and they will not play in a game that is this unfair. They will play poker or sports or any other game with a reasonable house take. If the powers to be do not catch on to this and i don't believe they will the sport is doomed. I will never bet another race until it is a 10% takeout at the most in all pools. In another 20 years when the people who are now 45 to 55 are to old to go to the track there will be no young people to take there place. The industry had better sharpen up in a hurry, because the clock is ticking.

John Carter

Jack, I definitely agree with your thinking on this matter. It is in all our best interests to get more people in the stands. And now is the time to address this.

Im glad that someone like jack darling who is well respected in the industry and who knows the game from the bottom up is trying to promote the game is speaking up to everyone to try and put harness racing back in the spotlight that we once shared with many other sporting venues.We have an excellent program with an excellent horse base and topnotch drivers trainers and caretakers second to none in the world lets get that message out there for people to notice.We have character individuals like randy waples who is never at a loss for words rick zeron very flashy individual bill odonnell who speaks up and tells it like it is these are people and many more I might add that make a differnce in an industry thats struggling to get people back to the races again. Lets face it folks we need a new plan we cant just hope people will keep coming we have been battered down but we can put a new plan in place that will put us back in thew spotlight again remember we have an excellent product second to none so lets pull together here as an industry as jack is trying to get people aware of and promote our game to get people back to the racetrack again.Good luck Jack and thanks for making people aware and comeing up with some new ideas that will ultimately put us in a better position to get horse racing fans back to the track!!!