When Adam Marsella bought his first racehorse, the new owner quickly discovered there's little information available for racing novices like himself -– so he decided to do something about it.
This week, Marsella launched Hooked on Harness, a new podcast designed to answer very basic questions that newcomers have about the sport.
"There's lots of information on the Internet for the seasoned harness racing fan, but very little for a novice like me," says Marsella, who recently bought shares in horses training in Anthony MacDonald's theStable.ca program.
In the four months since he and his Georgetown, Ontario neighbour Bernard Tobin invested in three horses with theStable.ca, Marsella admits he's become hooked on harness.
"I'm having a ton of fun watching the yearlings train down and learning about the sport. For the podcast we're going to tackle the very simple questions that every newcomers has -- everything from what makes a good racehorse to how to find one," explains Marsella who will co-host the Hooked on Harness with Tobin and Adam Kean, two friends who are long-time participants in the sport.
"I'll be asking all the dumb questions and Bernard, Adam and special guests will be helping me learn the ropes," says Marsella. He explains that the target audience for the podcast is people who know little about the sport, but are curious and may want to go to the races or buy a small portion of a racehorse.
"I'm a big baseball fan, but I will never own a piece of the Toronto Blue Jays," says Marsella. "But with very little money and some luck, I could own part of an elite equine athlete. That would be a lot of fun. Unlike years ago, I would say that’s now a realistic goal for a casual race fan like me. TheHooked on Harness podcast is a perfect opportunity to share my experience and have some fun while learning about the sport.”
Hooked on Harness podcast episodes are available on iTunes.