Approximately a month ago I was alive on a Mohawk Pick-5 ticket that had reached the last leg. I had gotten a few mid-to-longer priced horses across in two of the earlier legs and was alive on a couple of starters in the 10th race - one in particular that was getting me close to $11,000 if he were to win.
The horse in question had performed more than admirably, from off the pace, for his driver - one of Mohawk’s finest - a week prior, and was now back in the same class and had a great post. He showed more than ample gate speed at times in his last six lines and I really loved his chances given a decent trip.
With a large payday on the line, the wings of the gate folded and my horse, my horse with gate speed, an excellent driver and a good post, got away 8th. My driver never pulled on the right line throughout, and the pair were sitting 10th and fanning into the middle of the track turning for home - an impossible spot. The horse paced the fastest last ¼ of the race by a full second and the third-fastest last ¼ on the entire Friday night card, to end up second, beaten just over a length.
Was it a bad drive? Absolutely. One that I’m certain that the driver would have admitted to and one that cost me a bundle. Did I go straight to social media and bash him, as many people in all walks of life seem to enjoy doing these days? Absolutely not.
Here’s the thing: He’s a driver and drives horses for a living. I do not. I write, edit and put together a harness racing magazine. You may train horses, groom horses, sell car insurance - I don’t know. But why is it, these days, everybody loves to go on social media and explain how much better they could do when it comes to other peoples’ professions?
This type of thing has been quite evident this entire winter, every time there’s inclement or inconsistent weather that ‘might’ warrant the cancellation of a race card. And to be 100% frank - it’s very embarrassing to the sport.
Racetrack operators are under great pressure when it comes to making these decisions, because like politicians in many ways, if they’re lucky, maybe 60% of the people will agree with/support them. That leaves the other 40% to carry on about how incompetent they are - many of them choosing to do so in a public forum.
Guess what though? These racetrack operators have earned their positions. They have come to their jobs by paying their dues and earning them. Honestly, if you think you can do better, please submit your job application.
The people that make these decisions are always concerned first with the safety of the participants - that’s a given. But many people out there who ask for early (1pm) decisions don’t necessarily put themselves in the shoes of the decision-makers. Cancel at 1pm and the weather clears or the track holds up, and it costs the industry (track and horsepeople) tens of thousands of dollars. Don’t cancel and things turn worse, and you’re possibly putting your participants at risk.
An easy call when sitting on the sidelines perhaps, but not so easy in real life.
Regardless, I’m not saying people should be robots and just do as they’re told. I’m not saying, in a million years, that you shouldn’t have an opinion. Of course you should, it’s your livelihood. What I am saying is that you have horseman’s reps you can take your concerns to. The track operators themselves are usually available as well - give one of them a call and have a conversation. Maybe find out how things look from their side of the desk before just publicly bashing them.
When Ontario lost the Slots-At-Racetracks program more than 10 years ago now, government made it quite clear that we had better get our act together in many ways - one of them being no more in-fighting and constant bickering amongst groups and participants. The recent displays of bickering on social media, every time a track cancels or doesn’t cancel, sure tells me that many have forgotten about that. And it really makes us look unprofessional and silly.
Trust me when I say that I know it’s a small minority that take part in this somewhat new ritual of public, “I could do a better job than them” spouting. The large majority of people come and race when the races are on, and stay home when they’re cancelled. Sometimes it’s the squeaky wheel that gets the grease though - and in this case, hopefully a social media muzzle too.
Spring is here and the snow and ice storms for the year should soon be behind us. Next year, when the questionable weather is sure to hit again, maybe call your horseman’s rep or local racetrack operator and just have a conversation? A novel idea for this day-and-age I know, but it actually works.
As for the driver that screwed me on that Pick-5 windfall? He’s still a great driver, and not only would I love him to drive one that I own, I’ll bet him again too. Because here’s the thing: He’s only human.
Dan Fisher - [email protected]