The Zielinski report we discussed for the past several days indicated a number of problems with racing. A few of those problems are: too much time between the races and too much racing overall which results in the dilution of wagering pools.
Here is an idea which may help improve the product.
Why do we have fifteen to twenty minutes between races? Because we always have. Well, times have changed. You could argue serious handicappers needed 20 minutes or so to handicap each race back before the Internet, but this is no longer the truth. Programs are available at least 24 hours ahead of time online so there is no reason to think your serious horseplayers don't have an idea what they will be betting by the time they show up at the track or turn on their computers. By the time a racing card begins, the only thing most serious handicappers will need to factor into their final selection is possible driver changes and scratches, track bias, and the odds of their selection(s). This does not require twenty minutes.
Why don't we speed things up? Now, if you want people to make a trip to the track, having a two hour racing program really doesn't make sense. What if we kept the three to four hour program length but added more races to the program? Instead of racing 12 races a day, why not have 20 races during the four hours, meaning you will have a race start roughly ten minutes after the previous race is declared official. As soon as a race is declared official, send the horses out for one score and then shortly after head for the gate. Also, make post time THE post time. Nothing annoys people more than having them wait after a race is supposed to start.
Some people will argue horses need two scores, but if this is the case, how come we usually have one score when it is too cold or the weather is otherwise inclement? If your races are that quick, how can people get their bets in? For those who are home, it is no issue. As for those at the track, when was the last time you saw any real line at the betting windows? Ten minutes between races is more than enough time. If only ten minutes between races makes the lines a little bit longer, it isn't so bad; it will give an appearance the product is more popular. As for the people who bet at the last minute, they will continue to do so; be it at the tenth minute or the twentieth minute.
The only problem to this would be how horses would be warmed up for later races. May I suggest the Historic Track solution? Up at Goshen they will race four races then take a brief timeout to allow horses to warm up for races later in the program. The key is to keep the 'intermission' short.
Here are a few questions and answers regarding this idea:
How would we have enough horses to race twenty races a day at the track? Simple, instead of racing four days a week, race two days a week. The same number of races will be run, just over a shorter period of time.
Well, if we speed up our race card, how will people wager on simulcast races? Well, if it is standardbred racing, there won't be any other harness racing going on at the same time. We are going to use the Canada One model and have America One harness racing.
How would America One actually work? Any track which becomes a member of the America One network will race no more than two days a week; depending on the track, some may only race one day a week (remember, we are talking about having 20+ races each racing day). Depending on the time of year, tracks will be assigned days and a three to four hour time slot depending on how many races they will be running. Tracks running their stakes portion of their meet will get the weekends, others will race during weekdays. With America One operating twelve hours (noon to midnight) a day, we will have no more than four harness tracks racing a day. Assuming some tracks will race two days a week and others will race one day a week, we can have up to sixteen different harness tracks operating in a week. If you are looking to gamble on harness racing, there will be only one track operating nationally at a time so the pools should be big.
Will people want to play minor league tracks? Tracks won't be so minor any more. First of all, the days of year round racing at any one track will be over. Most tracks will conduct no more than three calendar months of live racing a year and out of that, they will race only two days a week. As a result, the purse account, which will grow with simulcast wagering during the dark period as well as simulcasting conducted before and after the track's live program, will be divvied up over fewer races. In addition, being the only harness track operating at a given time should ensure healthy wagering on their live program through simulcasting. With the track racing significantly fewer days, their race meet for the local market has the potential of becoming a festival-like meet, thus attracting more attendance and on-track wagering.
Okay, who’s going to determine who races on weekends and who races during the week? This will be agreed upon based on the strength of a program. If a track has a special stakes program or Grand Circuit racing, they will get the weekend dates those weeks. If there is a track which would be operating all year (say a Meadowlands), winter racing may occur during the week and their summer racing may occur on a weekend.
How would this keep racinos racing? Racing fewer days a year means the expense of running the track is much smaller. In addition, with much more racing on a racing card, not only may they be able to drop the VLT supplements in time, they will actually begin making a profit on racing. It has the potential to be a win-win situation.
Are there any other advantages? America One can also do joint marketing to promote the brand and racing. It can also form a co-op for wagering and simulcasting services further reducing individual track costs.
You want everyone to work together to come up with America One? Those who don’t want to work together should read the Zielinski report. Those who refuse to agree to the concept can go it alone. It will be their loss.
Okay, this idea solves the problem of too much racing, but what about the wagering problems? We will discuss this in another entry.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
The Recomendations
Now that we have discussed some of the reasons standardbred racing is in the mess it is in, where does racing go from here? Unfortunately, there is no magic bullet which will resuscitate racing; it will take a number of changes to improve harness racing’s fortune. Owners, trainers, drivers, breeders, track management will have to “take one for the team”. The Zielinski report identifies nine steps racing must be willing to take to secure its future.
Foster Industry Cooperation - “To reiterate, the pursuit of individual fragmented goals, individual profits to breeders versus horsemen versus tracks, horsemen threatening to strike, unlimited race days, increasing governmental subsidies, lack of market segmentation, blaming the completion, and “private” hiring of lobbyists must end.”
So writes Dr. Zielinski. The various stakeholders must realize they don’t live on an island. The success of any one group of stakeholders depends on the success of the others. Breeders have no market if there is no racing, horsemen can’t earn a living with racetracks being closed, and tracks (especially, non-racino tracks), can’t make a profit if there is no one willing to own racehorses. Industry leaders in one state which hires lobbyists to successfully obtain VLTs may improve their lot, but it comes at the expense of those who depend on racing for their living in other states. Horsemen who strike only embitter loyal horseplayers who may never return. Racing too many days at one track not only results in the dilution of the product but it freezes other tracks out of satellite time needed for simulcasting. The industry will succeed together or fail together so it is time for everyone to play together.
Hire A Boss – While a commissioner is not practical due to individual states regulating racing, it is time for the harness racing industry to hire a leader from outside of racing to run the ‘reorganization’ of harness racing. This person would be hired for a specific period of time and has carte blanche to do what he/she wants. This individual would be responsible for running a Best Practices Summit; establishing a Legislative Liaison Office to ensure racing has a national policy instead of the current local approach; conduct a marketing study of race track patrons; develop short, mid and long term strategic plans. The industry stakeholders will agree upon this outsider who will have no allegiance to any segment of the industry. By being an outsider, this person will be able to make decisions without having the emotional baggage a breeder, owner, horseman, or track operator may bring to this job. This person will be able to accomplish what racing has not been able to do as a result of its disjointed structure.
Conduct a Best Practices Summit – An opportunity for people considered as innovators to get together and discuss best practices and plan the implementation of these practices with the focus on long term growth instead of short term gains.
Legislative Liaison Office (LLO) - Harness racing cannot continue fighting local battles to the detriment of stakeholders elsewhere. The fight must be fought with a unified national focus campaign. A LLO will be able to deal with individual states to help develop national standards, keep track of what the competition and opposition is doing politically, and lobby individual states for the benefit of stakeholders throughout the nation rather than for the benefit of those in one state to the detriment of others.
Market Research Segmentation Study – It is time for racing to perform a true market research study to define what the various segments of their market are and what products (racing, wagers, etc.) are needed to appeal to the various segments. Racing has attempted to be a ‘one size fits all’ product which clearly it isn’t. What appeals to a ‘whale’ may not apply to a moderate gambler, and certainly will not appeal to a casual race fan. I know many people say worry about the professional gambler; others say worry about the fans. However, you need to develop your customers regardless of which segment they fall into. If you have people willing to spend money, racing should be doing its best to make sure these people spend it on racing.
Interview 20 Heavy Bettors – As we discussed in the last column, racing thinks it knows what the heavy hitters want but it appears there is a serious disconnect. Heavy hitters don’t want the best horses to race on, they would prefer to wager on second tier horses if they can get lower takeouts and rebates. They want larger field sizes. Some don’t like claiming races. Maybe it is time to really get to know what they want. Hard to believe this has not already been done.
Stop Whipping Horses - Whipping attracts animal rights groups. Whipping will eventually be used by casinos as a reason to end subsidies. Potential customers don’t want whipping and apparently many of our core bettors don’t think whipping matters. No good can come from whipping in the long run. It is time to get rid of it.
Develop a Strategy – Sounds simple but it hasn’t been done. The industry collectively needs to decide where and what it wants to accomplish in order to come up with a unified strategy.
Promote Efforts to get National Attention – What has Dancing with the Stars done for ballroom dancing? Why not try to get similar exposure for harness racing?
For sure, there will be people who will discount this report, unwilling to make the necessary changes or to make the sacrifices needed. There are those who have abandoned all hope and are content to squeeze what they can out of racing before it disappears. These people must step aside and let those willing to work for the future of harness racing to step up and lead the fight. In the meanwhile, it may be in the industry’s interest to provide incentives to encourage participation by their stakeholders.
Let’s have the Super Star Breeders Series; a series of stake races for horses sired and bred by those breeders who are members of the Breeder’s Alliance, a group which actively funds and participates in the Zielinski Report’s recommendations. Establish the National Harness Racing Association which will comprise of tracks willing to join the initiative. Tracks that join the NHRA have the option of becoming part of the American One Simulcast Network which will schedule race meets and times in conjunction with each other to ensure each track gets simulcast attention in an effort to bolster wagering handle. Members of participating horsemen groups will have preference in certain races at participating tracks.
The industry saw what happened when it ignored the first Zielinski report. Hopefully this is one mistake which will not be repeated. Next time there may not be a second chance.
Foster Industry Cooperation - “To reiterate, the pursuit of individual fragmented goals, individual profits to breeders versus horsemen versus tracks, horsemen threatening to strike, unlimited race days, increasing governmental subsidies, lack of market segmentation, blaming the completion, and “private” hiring of lobbyists must end.”
So writes Dr. Zielinski. The various stakeholders must realize they don’t live on an island. The success of any one group of stakeholders depends on the success of the others. Breeders have no market if there is no racing, horsemen can’t earn a living with racetracks being closed, and tracks (especially, non-racino tracks), can’t make a profit if there is no one willing to own racehorses. Industry leaders in one state which hires lobbyists to successfully obtain VLTs may improve their lot, but it comes at the expense of those who depend on racing for their living in other states. Horsemen who strike only embitter loyal horseplayers who may never return. Racing too many days at one track not only results in the dilution of the product but it freezes other tracks out of satellite time needed for simulcasting. The industry will succeed together or fail together so it is time for everyone to play together.
Hire A Boss – While a commissioner is not practical due to individual states regulating racing, it is time for the harness racing industry to hire a leader from outside of racing to run the ‘reorganization’ of harness racing. This person would be hired for a specific period of time and has carte blanche to do what he/she wants. This individual would be responsible for running a Best Practices Summit; establishing a Legislative Liaison Office to ensure racing has a national policy instead of the current local approach; conduct a marketing study of race track patrons; develop short, mid and long term strategic plans. The industry stakeholders will agree upon this outsider who will have no allegiance to any segment of the industry. By being an outsider, this person will be able to make decisions without having the emotional baggage a breeder, owner, horseman, or track operator may bring to this job. This person will be able to accomplish what racing has not been able to do as a result of its disjointed structure.
Conduct a Best Practices Summit – An opportunity for people considered as innovators to get together and discuss best practices and plan the implementation of these practices with the focus on long term growth instead of short term gains.
Legislative Liaison Office (LLO) - Harness racing cannot continue fighting local battles to the detriment of stakeholders elsewhere. The fight must be fought with a unified national focus campaign. A LLO will be able to deal with individual states to help develop national standards, keep track of what the competition and opposition is doing politically, and lobby individual states for the benefit of stakeholders throughout the nation rather than for the benefit of those in one state to the detriment of others.
Market Research Segmentation Study – It is time for racing to perform a true market research study to define what the various segments of their market are and what products (racing, wagers, etc.) are needed to appeal to the various segments. Racing has attempted to be a ‘one size fits all’ product which clearly it isn’t. What appeals to a ‘whale’ may not apply to a moderate gambler, and certainly will not appeal to a casual race fan. I know many people say worry about the professional gambler; others say worry about the fans. However, you need to develop your customers regardless of which segment they fall into. If you have people willing to spend money, racing should be doing its best to make sure these people spend it on racing.
Interview 20 Heavy Bettors – As we discussed in the last column, racing thinks it knows what the heavy hitters want but it appears there is a serious disconnect. Heavy hitters don’t want the best horses to race on, they would prefer to wager on second tier horses if they can get lower takeouts and rebates. They want larger field sizes. Some don’t like claiming races. Maybe it is time to really get to know what they want. Hard to believe this has not already been done.
Stop Whipping Horses - Whipping attracts animal rights groups. Whipping will eventually be used by casinos as a reason to end subsidies. Potential customers don’t want whipping and apparently many of our core bettors don’t think whipping matters. No good can come from whipping in the long run. It is time to get rid of it.
Develop a Strategy – Sounds simple but it hasn’t been done. The industry collectively needs to decide where and what it wants to accomplish in order to come up with a unified strategy.
Promote Efforts to get National Attention – What has Dancing with the Stars done for ballroom dancing? Why not try to get similar exposure for harness racing?
For sure, there will be people who will discount this report, unwilling to make the necessary changes or to make the sacrifices needed. There are those who have abandoned all hope and are content to squeeze what they can out of racing before it disappears. These people must step aside and let those willing to work for the future of harness racing to step up and lead the fight. In the meanwhile, it may be in the industry’s interest to provide incentives to encourage participation by their stakeholders.
Let’s have the Super Star Breeders Series; a series of stake races for horses sired and bred by those breeders who are members of the Breeder’s Alliance, a group which actively funds and participates in the Zielinski Report’s recommendations. Establish the National Harness Racing Association which will comprise of tracks willing to join the initiative. Tracks that join the NHRA have the option of becoming part of the American One Simulcast Network which will schedule race meets and times in conjunction with each other to ensure each track gets simulcast attention in an effort to bolster wagering handle. Members of participating horsemen groups will have preference in certain races at participating tracks.
The industry saw what happened when it ignored the first Zielinski report. Hopefully this is one mistake which will not be repeated. Next time there may not be a second chance.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
The Problems Facing Racing
In the first column regarding the Zielinski report, we discussed how racing continues to offer the same product it has for the last sixty years and how each stakeholder in the industry looks out for their own interests instead of the common good. This article will discuss some items the Zielinski report has identified as issues facing harness racing in 2010.
Harness racing continues to market the sport from the perspective of what the industry desires, not what the consumer wants. As a result, the same product offered sixty years ago continues to be offered. With other types of legalized gambling available, consumers have a choice. It is no longer what the customer can do for racing, but what racing can do for the customer. The sooner we learn this, the better off we are.
The product has not been updated to meet the demands of the current customer base. Look at the movie industry. The product has been continuously updated to meet the needs of their customers; from silent movies, movies with sound, color movies, and now 3-D movies, the product has continuously been updated to remain relevant. How popular would movies be if they continued to be in black and white? Well, harness racing, for all purposes is still in black and white. If other gaming opportunities are ‘in color’, is there any wonder people no longer consider racing an attractive option? All businesses must adapt their product to meet the consumers’ demands otherwise, the product becomes obsolete.
There is an oversaturation of racing which has developed as a result of the expansion of gaming and the Internet. The local market is now national. A track in California is competing against tracks in Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky and New York. With product demand decreasing, having so many tracks racing at the same time dilutes the mutual pools to the point where wagering is not feasible for the heavy gamblers who prefer standardbred racing. The amount of racing must be decreased in order for the individual wagering pools to remain a viable option for gamblers.
Racing relies on government support in the form of subsidies to support the industry. Unfortunately, the severe economic downturn makes racing’s economic benefits less tenable. After all, does supporting the racing industry outweigh the needs of educating the state’s children? When you have casinos willing to pay higher tax rates (in effect that is what Harrah’s offer in Iowa is) in an effort to discontinue making payments to support an unpopular sport, it makes racing’s situation even more precarious. Whipping can also be used as a weapon. Anti-greyhound groups have been writing Iowa legislators asking them to accept Harrah’s offer because of the treatment of greyhounds. Don’t think similar groups won’t be willing to use whipping against harness racing.
It is inevitable that VLT revenue will be reduced or eliminated yet racing is planning its future on such subsidies. Racing states without VLTs spend all their efforts on gaining VLTs instead of improving the sport and horsemen with racino revenue assume the spigot will never turn off. Also, the genie called Internet wagering has gotten out of the bottle. More and more gamblers, especially the heavy gamblers will continue to flock towards the Internet and away from traditional wagering sources. Racing needs to deal with this growing trend. Perhaps fixed odds and wagering exchanges need to be considered.
Racetracks don’t like to segment their market. There are different people with different needs so racing must adapt to appeal to potential customers. You don’t see casinos offer one type of slot machine; there are different types of machines being used to attract different types of gamblers. Racing must offer a product varied enough to appeal to the various group of consumers who are willing to partake in racing. This could be pari-mutuel, fixed odds, and/or exchange wagering; lottery type jackpot wagers; different ways of putting races together; different distances; etc. One size does not fit all.
Racetracks think they know what the core bettor wants, but in reality they don’t know. The report indicates what the profile of a core bettor is yet after interviewing a few ‘core’ bettors, it turns out their needs are not known. Some of the comments were: they know people who stopped playing the trotters because the payoffs are too low and/or the takeout it too high; they don’t bet or bet more on races because the horses are better (they look for the best deal); late odd changes discourage their playing; they hate claiming races (surprised me); whipping does not indicate a horse or driver are giving their best efforts, it can even turn newcomers off (this will surprise a lot of people).
While the report recognizes whipping is a controversial issue, the report concludes it is inevitable that whipping will be banned. Whipping is something that newcomers to the sport will not accept and eventually the media, animal rights groups, and/or casinos will focus on it as an argument to get subsidies reduced or eliminated. Society does not accept animal cruelty and racing needs to accept the fact society considers whipping as being cruel. Yes, there is a chance some core gamblers may not like the elimination of whipping but if there is to be a future in horse racing, the industry must position the product for the market it hopes to attract; not a continually shrinking portion of its market.
The report laments the lack of a long term strategy. The various stakeholders (breeders, track operators, and horsemen) are more focused on short term gains considering the uncertain future of the sport. However, if there is to be a future, these interests must work together on a long term plan even if it means sacrificing some immediate profits.
A gloomy picture has been painted but all is not lost. If the industry commits itself to uniting and revamping its product (let’s call it harness racing 2.0), the chance of survival will be much greater. Racetracks in states without racinos will be able to remain relevant and turn a profit. Racinos seek to get rid of their racing side of the business not because it hates racing, it hates spending money on a product that consistently loses money. If the industry can get its act together, gaming executives and accountants will be happy to invest and maintain a profitable racing enterprise at their properties.
The next article discussing the report will discuss the recommendations made in the study.
Racing Briefs:
Cangamble on his blog discusses the Beaulah Park Fortune 6 and how the wager can attract the lottery crowd. Being the chances for a V75 type bet are remote at the present time, perhaps this wager may help racetracks stimulate handle.
With the threatened deadline of an April 11 closure of NYCOTB, I can't help but wonder if harness racing is about to get shafted once again in New York State. There is a proposal to transfer NYCOTB's profitable account wagering accounts to an agency which will then in return allow NYRA to manage the accounts. Some of these accounts belong to harness horseplayers and if the accounts are managed by NYRA, how much access to standardbred races will these customers receive? Harness interests must take steps to ensure if this proposal goes through, these customers have access to harness signals.
Harness racing continues to market the sport from the perspective of what the industry desires, not what the consumer wants. As a result, the same product offered sixty years ago continues to be offered. With other types of legalized gambling available, consumers have a choice. It is no longer what the customer can do for racing, but what racing can do for the customer. The sooner we learn this, the better off we are.
The product has not been updated to meet the demands of the current customer base. Look at the movie industry. The product has been continuously updated to meet the needs of their customers; from silent movies, movies with sound, color movies, and now 3-D movies, the product has continuously been updated to remain relevant. How popular would movies be if they continued to be in black and white? Well, harness racing, for all purposes is still in black and white. If other gaming opportunities are ‘in color’, is there any wonder people no longer consider racing an attractive option? All businesses must adapt their product to meet the consumers’ demands otherwise, the product becomes obsolete.
There is an oversaturation of racing which has developed as a result of the expansion of gaming and the Internet. The local market is now national. A track in California is competing against tracks in Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky and New York. With product demand decreasing, having so many tracks racing at the same time dilutes the mutual pools to the point where wagering is not feasible for the heavy gamblers who prefer standardbred racing. The amount of racing must be decreased in order for the individual wagering pools to remain a viable option for gamblers.
Racing relies on government support in the form of subsidies to support the industry. Unfortunately, the severe economic downturn makes racing’s economic benefits less tenable. After all, does supporting the racing industry outweigh the needs of educating the state’s children? When you have casinos willing to pay higher tax rates (in effect that is what Harrah’s offer in Iowa is) in an effort to discontinue making payments to support an unpopular sport, it makes racing’s situation even more precarious. Whipping can also be used as a weapon. Anti-greyhound groups have been writing Iowa legislators asking them to accept Harrah’s offer because of the treatment of greyhounds. Don’t think similar groups won’t be willing to use whipping against harness racing.
It is inevitable that VLT revenue will be reduced or eliminated yet racing is planning its future on such subsidies. Racing states without VLTs spend all their efforts on gaining VLTs instead of improving the sport and horsemen with racino revenue assume the spigot will never turn off. Also, the genie called Internet wagering has gotten out of the bottle. More and more gamblers, especially the heavy gamblers will continue to flock towards the Internet and away from traditional wagering sources. Racing needs to deal with this growing trend. Perhaps fixed odds and wagering exchanges need to be considered.
Racetracks don’t like to segment their market. There are different people with different needs so racing must adapt to appeal to potential customers. You don’t see casinos offer one type of slot machine; there are different types of machines being used to attract different types of gamblers. Racing must offer a product varied enough to appeal to the various group of consumers who are willing to partake in racing. This could be pari-mutuel, fixed odds, and/or exchange wagering; lottery type jackpot wagers; different ways of putting races together; different distances; etc. One size does not fit all.
Racetracks think they know what the core bettor wants, but in reality they don’t know. The report indicates what the profile of a core bettor is yet after interviewing a few ‘core’ bettors, it turns out their needs are not known. Some of the comments were: they know people who stopped playing the trotters because the payoffs are too low and/or the takeout it too high; they don’t bet or bet more on races because the horses are better (they look for the best deal); late odd changes discourage their playing; they hate claiming races (surprised me); whipping does not indicate a horse or driver are giving their best efforts, it can even turn newcomers off (this will surprise a lot of people).
While the report recognizes whipping is a controversial issue, the report concludes it is inevitable that whipping will be banned. Whipping is something that newcomers to the sport will not accept and eventually the media, animal rights groups, and/or casinos will focus on it as an argument to get subsidies reduced or eliminated. Society does not accept animal cruelty and racing needs to accept the fact society considers whipping as being cruel. Yes, there is a chance some core gamblers may not like the elimination of whipping but if there is to be a future in horse racing, the industry must position the product for the market it hopes to attract; not a continually shrinking portion of its market.
The report laments the lack of a long term strategy. The various stakeholders (breeders, track operators, and horsemen) are more focused on short term gains considering the uncertain future of the sport. However, if there is to be a future, these interests must work together on a long term plan even if it means sacrificing some immediate profits.
A gloomy picture has been painted but all is not lost. If the industry commits itself to uniting and revamping its product (let’s call it harness racing 2.0), the chance of survival will be much greater. Racetracks in states without racinos will be able to remain relevant and turn a profit. Racinos seek to get rid of their racing side of the business not because it hates racing, it hates spending money on a product that consistently loses money. If the industry can get its act together, gaming executives and accountants will be happy to invest and maintain a profitable racing enterprise at their properties.
The next article discussing the report will discuss the recommendations made in the study.
Racing Briefs:
Cangamble on his blog discusses the Beaulah Park Fortune 6 and how the wager can attract the lottery crowd. Being the chances for a V75 type bet are remote at the present time, perhaps this wager may help racetracks stimulate handle.
With the threatened deadline of an April 11 closure of NYCOTB, I can't help but wonder if harness racing is about to get shafted once again in New York State. There is a proposal to transfer NYCOTB's profitable account wagering accounts to an agency which will then in return allow NYRA to manage the accounts. Some of these accounts belong to harness horseplayers and if the accounts are managed by NYRA, how much access to standardbred races will these customers receive? Harness interests must take steps to ensure if this proposal goes through, these customers have access to harness signals.
Friday, April 2, 2010
An Indictment Against the Industry - The Zielinski Report
Twenty years ago, The United States Trotting Association, realizing the sport was in serious trouble, commissioned a study on the status of harness racing and what needed to be done to halt the decline of the sport. As a result of this decision, a study was authored by Doctor Joan Zielinski which outlined thirteen issues which needed to be addressed to pulling harness racing out of the doldrums. Last year, the USTA commissioned Dr. Zielinski to perform a strategic analysis of the sport, basically to provide an update to the study from twenty years ago; you could say a report card to see how harness racing is doing and where it needs to improve.
Well, the strategic analysis has been completed and to say things are not good is an understatement. For all practical purposes, the industry has squandered the past twenty years and finds itself in an even worse position than it was back in 1991. Back in 1991, the industry needed to develop a long-term strategy to reverse, or at a minimum, stop the decline to ensure the sport’s long term survival and it has failed to do so. The report is quite damning in where the fault lies, and it falls equally upon all the stakeholders in the industry. The report indicates, while things are worse than they were in 1991, all is not lost; there are steps which can be taken to ensure the sport survives as a “second (or third) tier sport”.
How did standardbred racing get to where it is? There are two main reasons the sport is in the shape it is. First of all, harness (and many of the issues outlined in this study applies to our running cousins as well) racing as a business is fundamentally flawed in that it is an industry which is concerned with what it wants instead of what its customers want. This is a big problem. Harness racing spends all its time breeding faster horses, developing new sulkies, and improving race tracks, all in its preoccupation with speed. This is because the industry is focused on what it wants. Despite all the ‘improvements’, racing has essentially remained the same; a series of one mile races with a huge amount of time between races with essentially the same wagering format. The public could care less if a race goes in 2:05 or 1:45; horsemen care. The bottom line is the racing product from 2010 is for all practical purposes, the same product we offered for the last forty years. The product needed to change to reflect what the wagering public wanted and the industry basically did nothing. Hence the fans and potential customers went elsewhere. It is time to stop focusing on what the industry wants and start focusing on what the customer wants.
Another major problem is the industry is divided. Breeders, horsemen, and track operators all looking out for their own agenda instead of what is best for the industry on the whole. The division is not just between these three groups; the division is across state lines as well. Industry participants in Pennsylvania worry about themselves but don’t look at the big picture (the industry on the whole). As a result, instead of moving the industry forward together, it has been every group for themselves.
Thanks to these divisions and the way the industry ignores what the customer wants, is there any wonder why basically nothing has changed since the last Zielinski report? Marketing Orientation; Product Design; Market Oversaturation in some areas; Poor Media Coverage; Competitive Management; Horse Breed Disputes; Lack of Industry Leadership; USTA Board Structure. All issues identified in the last report where no improvement has been made. But then how, could we tackle these issues with our fractured interests?
Now that we see VLT revenue starting to slip away and we are approaching rock bottom, attitudes have changed. I believe industry fractions will be more receptive to this second report from Dr. Zielinski and be willing to make changes. Over the next couple of columns we will discuss the report further with respect to where harness racing needs to go from here. One thing is clear, doing nothing is not an option and I believe the industry is now at the point where it is ready to change.
Yes, it is time to face reality; harness racing will never be the sport it once was. Harness racing’s future will be at best, a minor league sport. We can bemoan this fact but this will be a waste of time. When you got lemons, you make lemonade. It is time to start squeezing.
Friday Night Match Up
We would be remiss if we did not discuss Friday night’s tenth race at the Meadowlands. In the invitational trot, Lucky Jim, Enough Talk, and Arch Madness meet up for the first time this year. Hopefully, these three will be competing through the whole season. My pick for this week’s matchup is Enough Talk finishing on top, with Lucky Jim finishing second.
Well, the strategic analysis has been completed and to say things are not good is an understatement. For all practical purposes, the industry has squandered the past twenty years and finds itself in an even worse position than it was back in 1991. Back in 1991, the industry needed to develop a long-term strategy to reverse, or at a minimum, stop the decline to ensure the sport’s long term survival and it has failed to do so. The report is quite damning in where the fault lies, and it falls equally upon all the stakeholders in the industry. The report indicates, while things are worse than they were in 1991, all is not lost; there are steps which can be taken to ensure the sport survives as a “second (or third) tier sport”.
How did standardbred racing get to where it is? There are two main reasons the sport is in the shape it is. First of all, harness (and many of the issues outlined in this study applies to our running cousins as well) racing as a business is fundamentally flawed in that it is an industry which is concerned with what it wants instead of what its customers want. This is a big problem. Harness racing spends all its time breeding faster horses, developing new sulkies, and improving race tracks, all in its preoccupation with speed. This is because the industry is focused on what it wants. Despite all the ‘improvements’, racing has essentially remained the same; a series of one mile races with a huge amount of time between races with essentially the same wagering format. The public could care less if a race goes in 2:05 or 1:45; horsemen care. The bottom line is the racing product from 2010 is for all practical purposes, the same product we offered for the last forty years. The product needed to change to reflect what the wagering public wanted and the industry basically did nothing. Hence the fans and potential customers went elsewhere. It is time to stop focusing on what the industry wants and start focusing on what the customer wants.
Another major problem is the industry is divided. Breeders, horsemen, and track operators all looking out for their own agenda instead of what is best for the industry on the whole. The division is not just between these three groups; the division is across state lines as well. Industry participants in Pennsylvania worry about themselves but don’t look at the big picture (the industry on the whole). As a result, instead of moving the industry forward together, it has been every group for themselves.
Thanks to these divisions and the way the industry ignores what the customer wants, is there any wonder why basically nothing has changed since the last Zielinski report? Marketing Orientation; Product Design; Market Oversaturation in some areas; Poor Media Coverage; Competitive Management; Horse Breed Disputes; Lack of Industry Leadership; USTA Board Structure. All issues identified in the last report where no improvement has been made. But then how, could we tackle these issues with our fractured interests?
Now that we see VLT revenue starting to slip away and we are approaching rock bottom, attitudes have changed. I believe industry fractions will be more receptive to this second report from Dr. Zielinski and be willing to make changes. Over the next couple of columns we will discuss the report further with respect to where harness racing needs to go from here. One thing is clear, doing nothing is not an option and I believe the industry is now at the point where it is ready to change.
Yes, it is time to face reality; harness racing will never be the sport it once was. Harness racing’s future will be at best, a minor league sport. We can bemoan this fact but this will be a waste of time. When you got lemons, you make lemonade. It is time to start squeezing.
Friday Night Match Up
We would be remiss if we did not discuss Friday night’s tenth race at the Meadowlands. In the invitational trot, Lucky Jim, Enough Talk, and Arch Madness meet up for the first time this year. Hopefully, these three will be competing through the whole season. My pick for this week’s matchup is Enough Talk finishing on top, with Lucky Jim finishing second.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Levy Memorial - Round 2 Selections
This Saturday night at Yonkers Raceway, the second leg of the Levy Memorial Pacing Series is being contested. Suprisingly, all but one of last week's entrants return to action this week necessitating once again six divisions of the Levy. With some of last years better horses making their first pari-mutuel starts of the year last week, they should be expected to perform better this week. This should make some of the races more competitive and hopefully lead to better payoffs.
In addition to the Levy, the Sagamore Hill Series continues. In the Sagamore Hill, there is an interesting match up in the first tilt of the evening. Giddy Up Delight and Woodstock Hanover, both winners in the first two legs of the Sagamore Hill meet up. Will this be the chalkiest of exactas or will the two of them get hooked up in a suicide duel?
Here are my early selections for Saturday evenings card.
1st Race - $12,500; Sagamore Hill
3 - Giddy Up Delight 8-5 Draws inside of main contender.
7 - Woodstock Hanover 9-5 Post hurts his chances.
4 - Bestnotlie Hanover 4-1 Meadowlands shipper can steal all in the event of speed duel.
2nd Race - $12,500; Sagamore Hill
1 - Dr C's Z Tam 7-5 Controls race from the rail.
7 - Mr Massimo 10-1 Been racing well but continues to be saddled with a poor draw.
6 - Cracker Stoney 5-1 Andreson trainee handles class hike.
3rd Race - $12,500; Sagamore Hill
2 - Mr Rockford 3-1 Retains inside position against main threat.
3 - Riopelle 5-1 Lands 2nd.
5 - Joey The Czar 8-5 Won't be able to control pace
4th Race - $50,000; Levy Memorial
7 - Wholly Louy 4-1 Can race on the lead or off the pace. Threat
6 - Winbak Fox 5-1 Tougher this week but still capable.
1 - Chasin Racin 5-1 Tighter this week. Lands share.
5th Race - $27,000; Preferred Handicap
8 - Deuce Seelster 5-1 Returns to scene of most recent victories.
3 - I'm A Gordy Too 12-1 Throw out last start.
6 - Roxies Big Guy 6-1 Lands share.
7 - Palmer's Z Tam 3-1 Completes exotics
6th Race - $50,000; Levy Memorial
6 - Foiled Again 9-5 Just missed in return. Tighter this week.
1 - Blueridge Western 8-5 Winner last week moves all the way inside.
2 - Handsome Harry 4-1 Picks up the rest.
7th Race - $50,000; Levy Memorial
8 - Legal Litigator 12-1 Upset possibility.
5 - Poker Hat 9-5 Looks to repeat this week.
1 - Mr Wiggles 3-1 Missed in return; can take it all.
4 - Smellthecolornine 10-1 Share with trip.
8th Race - $50,000; Levy Memorial
1 - Days Of Courage N 10-1 May be better than he shows. Competed against the Reactor and Monkey King in New Zealand.
6 - Western Ace 8-5 Looks to repeat.
5 - Atochia 3-1 Needs to move early.
9th Race - $50,000; Levy Memorial
3 - Go Go Solano 6-1 Threat with inside post.
6 - Southwind Lynx 8-5 Eligible to repeat.
5 - Real Nice 10-1 Can't be dismissed.
10th Race - $25,000; Claiming $75,000
2 - Showmethefame 8-5 Looks to repeat.
3 - Ironstone Wiz 5-1 Threat with trip.
1 - Arduous 12-1 Can complete trifecta with inside post.
7 - One More Yankee 6-1 Post hampers chances.
11th Race - $50,000; Levy Memorial
7 - Badlands Nitro 8-5 Ready for top effort. Class of field.
4 - Tenant in Chief 12-1 Closed fast in lasts; not out of it.
2 - Forensic Z Tam 15-1 Share with rail trip.
12th Race - $20,000; Non-winners $18,000 in last 6 starts
4 - Royal Man 5-1 Tepid pick for finale.
7 - Jazzy Jeff 10-1 4-7 in the money this year.
8 - Silver Sunset 10-1 Minor spoils
2 - All My Life 8-1 Steps up; not out of it.
In addition to the Levy, the Sagamore Hill Series continues. In the Sagamore Hill, there is an interesting match up in the first tilt of the evening. Giddy Up Delight and Woodstock Hanover, both winners in the first two legs of the Sagamore Hill meet up. Will this be the chalkiest of exactas or will the two of them get hooked up in a suicide duel?
Here are my early selections for Saturday evenings card.
1st Race - $12,500; Sagamore Hill
3 - Giddy Up Delight 8-5 Draws inside of main contender.
7 - Woodstock Hanover 9-5 Post hurts his chances.
4 - Bestnotlie Hanover 4-1 Meadowlands shipper can steal all in the event of speed duel.
2nd Race - $12,500; Sagamore Hill
1 - Dr C's Z Tam 7-5 Controls race from the rail.
7 - Mr Massimo 10-1 Been racing well but continues to be saddled with a poor draw.
6 - Cracker Stoney 5-1 Andreson trainee handles class hike.
3rd Race - $12,500; Sagamore Hill
2 - Mr Rockford 3-1 Retains inside position against main threat.
3 - Riopelle 5-1 Lands 2nd.
5 - Joey The Czar 8-5 Won't be able to control pace
4th Race - $50,000; Levy Memorial
7 - Wholly Louy 4-1 Can race on the lead or off the pace. Threat
6 - Winbak Fox 5-1 Tougher this week but still capable.
1 - Chasin Racin 5-1 Tighter this week. Lands share.
5th Race - $27,000; Preferred Handicap
8 - Deuce Seelster 5-1 Returns to scene of most recent victories.
3 - I'm A Gordy Too 12-1 Throw out last start.
6 - Roxies Big Guy 6-1 Lands share.
7 - Palmer's Z Tam 3-1 Completes exotics
6th Race - $50,000; Levy Memorial
6 - Foiled Again 9-5 Just missed in return. Tighter this week.
1 - Blueridge Western 8-5 Winner last week moves all the way inside.
2 - Handsome Harry 4-1 Picks up the rest.
7th Race - $50,000; Levy Memorial
8 - Legal Litigator 12-1 Upset possibility.
5 - Poker Hat 9-5 Looks to repeat this week.
1 - Mr Wiggles 3-1 Missed in return; can take it all.
4 - Smellthecolornine 10-1 Share with trip.
8th Race - $50,000; Levy Memorial
1 - Days Of Courage N 10-1 May be better than he shows. Competed against the Reactor and Monkey King in New Zealand.
6 - Western Ace 8-5 Looks to repeat.
5 - Atochia 3-1 Needs to move early.
9th Race - $50,000; Levy Memorial
3 - Go Go Solano 6-1 Threat with inside post.
6 - Southwind Lynx 8-5 Eligible to repeat.
5 - Real Nice 10-1 Can't be dismissed.
10th Race - $25,000; Claiming $75,000
2 - Showmethefame 8-5 Looks to repeat.
3 - Ironstone Wiz 5-1 Threat with trip.
1 - Arduous 12-1 Can complete trifecta with inside post.
7 - One More Yankee 6-1 Post hampers chances.
11th Race - $50,000; Levy Memorial
7 - Badlands Nitro 8-5 Ready for top effort. Class of field.
4 - Tenant in Chief 12-1 Closed fast in lasts; not out of it.
2 - Forensic Z Tam 15-1 Share with rail trip.
12th Race - $20,000; Non-winners $18,000 in last 6 starts
4 - Royal Man 5-1 Tepid pick for finale.
7 - Jazzy Jeff 10-1 4-7 in the money this year.
8 - Silver Sunset 10-1 Minor spoils
2 - All My Life 8-1 Steps up; not out of it.
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