Race Night On Hiatus

Judging by the number of comments and passionate statements perhaps dont fix it if it aint broken may apply in this case.

Peter you are absolutely right. I have commented many times on this website about how our harness heroes must be promoted in order to bring newcomers to the sport but apparently nobody knows how to do that. This is particularly true in canada where the public craves canadian sports heroes. We have so many that no one knows about (jody j, john campbell, somebeach, balanced image - the list is endless). I have even tried to do my bit by writing to the star and sun when they ignore our horse and driver heroes.

I do believe that the dialogue generated by this article is a good thing don't you? I hope they don't put insider news on hiatus

Steve, I would have to respectively disagree with you to a point. Your post suggests we only need so-called "big bettors", we don't need fans. Sweet Jesus, does nobody care that there's not a soul coming to watch these horses race?? The grandstands are empty! We need to promote all sides of the game, not just the big betting angle - this is sport, not the lottery.

LIZ THERRIEN I'D JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT I DON'T HAVE ANY FRIENDS OR EVEN ACQUAINTANCES IN THE RACING BUSINESS. I'M JUST A REGULAR FAN OF OVER 50 YEARS AND RECREATIONAL BETTOR OF WELL MORE THAN $2. I THOUGHT THAT THE 123 RACING CONTEST WAS A GREAT WAY TO ENCOURAGE NEW BETTORS AND SINCE MOST OF THE FUN OF BETTING COMES FROM MAKING INFORMED CHOICES RATHER THAN PICKING NAMES OR NUMBERS THE BACKGROUND PIECES ARE HELPFUL IN THAT AREA. PERHAPS SOME INFORMATION ON HOW TO BET THE EXOTICS WOULD ALSO BE OF INTEREST TO NEWCOMERS.

I WAS INTRODUCED TO RACING BY MY FATHER AS WERE MANY RACING FANS. WHEN TRYING TO BRING NEW PEOPLE INTO THE GAME IT'S PROBABLY NOT A GREAT IDEA TO ALIENATE THE OLDER ONES.

I can’t help but add my two cents on this thread of comments. While I appreciate that some people like the current Score broadcast from its ‘window on the sport’ perspective. This isn’t paying the bills. Last I checked there was no subscription fee that anyone was paying for the broadcast and I doubt very much if the commercial revenue off sets production costs (although I don’t know that). What WEG is trying to do is increase the handle! It’s about betting, not watching your friends on TV. WEG is trying to produce a show that will encourage people to wager as a recreation. Generating revenue through the casual observer or occasional twoonie better is not going to help the industry (try doing the math). The industry needs to generate more interest from more people who will be disposed to participate and wager as an on-going recreation (e.g. building the core base who wager more on a frequent basis) To generate and encourage those “seeds of interest” you need show that will help in the process. I applaud the focus on wagering that the new format will represent.

Steve Calhoun

oh man...i too have watched Race Night faithfully for years..
I love all the commentators, interviews and behind the scenes segments. Mondays for standardbreds and wednesdays for the thoroughbreds..i was already missing Renee on mondays and was looking forward to racing123 (which apparently is being replaced by something NOT free). Why change it? Please listen to the public here.

There is so much gambling in Ont. now and so many people addicted, I dont think the change of name is a very positive thing to do, in fact it is detrimental, especially to family viewers. Should reconsider.

I agree with nononono - please consider your viewers when making these decisions.
We always watch the Monday night races, and now --what?
It is very sad that we only get 5 races on the score, but that is better than nothing.
PLEASE, please reconsider this decision, for your viewers sake? Thank you

Please do not change the Monday eve, race night format. This is a very enjoyable 2 hours of horse racing. We enjoy the commentaries of Chad, Gregg, and the whole crew. We especially like the interviews with Trainers, Drivers, the extended interviews on the farms. We have faithfully watched Race night for 5 years following the horses and their progress. I would like to see the race night extended for an extra hour. I think the comments of the viewers should be taken into consideration if changes are made on the race night format.

Betty Grigg

NONONONONONONO WHAT ARE YOU DOING? LOT OF FOLKS ARE WATCHING THIS PROGRAM FAITHFULLY ALL ACCROSS THE COUNTRY. REMOVE SOMETHING FROM THE PUBLIC EYE EVEN FOR A SHORT TIME AND PEOPLE WILL FIND SOMETHING ELSE TO OCCUPY THEIR MONDAY NIGHTS. GOD HELP STANDARDBRED RACING TO SURVIVE THIS.

Race Night was a big part of exposing me to harness racing and from there the love affair began.
Too Bad it's off for a month -- don't mess too much with the format!!

Marie Stoyles-Moura

Here's hoping when racing returns it will give viewers greatly
improved camera angles. Those aggravating tight shots of individual
horses while all kinds of action is happening on the the track are
mindless. Please allow us to see ALL horses in a race.

Very disappointing to have a complete shutdown for a month. I am a big fan of the actual format and commentators crew, a good balance between horse information and betting. I keep my fingers crossed that the new format will still be meaningful to horsepeople. However we saw in the past some initiatives (in Quebec) driven for bettors that were pretty poor in terms of horse content.

Good luck with the new show, I will be watching.

JF

Big loss out east. No races here until June to watch. Race night keeps us up to date on what's going on. Now we have nothing.....til June.
Is Race Night watched as much in other places as it is here on the Rock?

Here we go again. A good show promoting harness racing, watched faithfully every week by a lot of people and they have to change it. Sometimes a change isn't as good as a rest. Will the last person out please shut off the light on this once great industry.