Earlier this year, the Hambletonian Society (to their credit) announced that effective 2010, all Breeders Crown Championship races will be held on one night. The first two events are set for November 6, 2010 at Pocono Downs and October 29, 2011 at Woodbine Racetrack respectively.
With harness racing poised to once again have a true championship night, count me as one racing fan who is thrilled by the prospect. While I remain a little puzzled by the choice to put the 2010 date on the same day as thoroughbred racing’s Breeders Cup, schedule conflicts along the road are understandable.
But now that we have our 'finals' on one card, will participants and stakeholders help it thrive or will the sport prevent the event from becoming a true celebration of the best harness racing has to offer?
Trainers will tell you bluntly that it’s a long racing year. To ask any horse to put in five or six straight months of top calibre racing is a lot. To ask the best in the world to deliver over that period is a tall task. There are too many big dances and too little time.
This year, the Breeders Crown Open divisions held in August saw only six trotters and six pacers compete in the male categories, with many entries scared off on the trotting side by Lucky Jim and on the pacing side by a strong group. The races were enjoyable, but didn’t offer as much drama as either the Nat Ray or the Canadian Pacing Derby.
One reason for the small fields is purse levels. Even with six or seven million dollars on the line, top horses are being pointed to races other than the Breeders Crown. Last year Somebeachsomewhere finished his career in the Crown. The $500,000 event was the fourth richest race of his year but unfortunately didn’t involve a rematch with arch nemesis Art Official.
In 1984, the first year of the Breeders Crown and long before slots, three-year-old pacers went for $670,000 – the equivalent of just under $1.4 million today. Last year the race went for $500,000 despite purses being exponentially higher across the continent. Something isn’t right.
The goal of the Breeders Crown should be the following: To create an event with the best horses and the most compelling storylines.
In order to achieve that, a few things should happen.
1. A cross-jurisdictional commitment to Crown purses.
A simple formula and a modest investment across all major jurisdictions in North America could ensure every Crown race is worth more than $1 million. Take the total purse distribution, establish a purse target and divide accordingly. Everybody pays a little bit for the greater gain.
An alternative is the potential for a model similar to the thoroughbreds where certain races across the country are designated as official 'Win and You’re In' Crown events. In exchange for the title, races would designate purse pools to the crown (i.e. $50,000 would come from the 'Win and You’re In' Messenger Stakes purse pool to supplement the Crown purse. The Messenger winner, if eligible, would then earn a guaranteed spot in the Crown final).
2. Combine all three-year-old Crown events with Open divisions.
With all the big races during the year for three-year-olds and for older horses respectively, it's time to combine the divisions come Breeders Crown time. Would Somebeach-somewhere have beaten Mister Big if they had raced in 2008? How about Muscle Hill and Lucky Jim? Who’s better? Why do we have to live in the theoretical when the opportunity exists to create Championship divisions for horses three-years-old and up. The change, which has been discussed by racing fans for years, should finally see the light with the move to one venue on one date.
On the thoroughbred side, three-year-olds have won the Breeders Cup Classic nine times in the last 25 years and the Ladies Classic (Distaff) seven of the last 25 years.
Efforts by the Hambletonian Society, particularly the work of Tom Charters and Moira Fanning, have not gone unnoticed. The move to one date is a huge leap toward creating a Championship that every horse racing fan looks forward to. If a few horsemen’s groups, racetracks and industry associations follow the lead and agree to throw their support behind harness racing’s championship event, the sport will make headlines and win hearts.
And that’s something everyone can support.