A story came out on how North American timing of thoroughbred races is inherently wrong thanks to the 'run up', the point between when the starting gate is opened and the horses reach the point timing begins. Another reason why not to play thoroughbred racing because you don't know if they are timing a race at 6 1/2 furlongs 6 furlongs, 5 3/4 furlongs or somewhere in between at various tracks.
Unfortunately, we have the same problem in harness racing where tracks use the quick release method to give horses a better chance when the first turn would come up too quickly. By releasing horses early, they are racing at full speed by the time the timer is tripped on versus starts at tracks where a quick release is not used. Timing is only accurate when you are looking at races at the same track. However, when you have horses shipping in from other tracks, let the handicapper beware.
This past weekend, Heather Vitale presented a feature on her Post Time Show about her trip to Ireland to cover Ladbroke's Vincent Delaney Memorial which was conducted at Portmarnock Raceway near Dublin. It is always interesting to see how harness racing is presented elsewhere around the globe so this video is educational as well as enjoyable to watch.
As Heather says, a trip to experience harness racing in Ireland should be on everyone's bucket list.
Most of the time we hear about county fairs dropping harness racing due to lack of interest, insurance costs or other reasons, but it is unusual to hear about a county fair bringing harness racing back.
The Delaware (Indiana) County Fair is returning harness racing to Muncie for the first time in 20 years. The fair board is working with Hoosier Park in this effort.
A horse races at Freehold on October 2 and ends up at New Holland on October 20. How does this happen. Is anyone at Freehold Raceway doing anything to make sure horses competing there don't end up at these grade auctions? If they are, it must be a token effort. Most tracks don't have any such policies and welcome horse dealers on the grounds on qualifying day. When will harness tracks really work to keep horses safe once their careers end?
To no one's surprise, the sports leagues have filed for an immediate injunction to Monmouth Park taking bets on sporting events this weekend. A hearing will be held today in Trenton in Round 1 in the battle for sports wagering (aka, the absurd battle). Meanwhile, State Senator Lesniak sounds as optimistic as ever about NJ's effort to circumvent the previous federal ruling. They needed someone as inspirational as Senator Lesniak at Little Big Horn.
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