Revitalize
Harness racing can be revitalized and grown beyond expectations by recreating a product that has the potential for escalation to the public as a treasured spectator sport.
Harness racing was supported for many decades primarily because it was one of few venues for placing legal wagers – horse racing was the only game in town. Sure, many people enjoyed the races, but with new legal gambling opportunities, the attendance at racetracks has dramatically declined. This is an excellent indicator that harness racing sadly fails as a spectator sport.
Begin by pretending that wagering on our sport has been suspended and that we must quickly and creatively transform it into a sport the public will love based on its splendor and excitement. The so-called Standardbred industry leaders fell asleep when horse racing had a monopoly on gambling, and then kept sleeping when harness racing was subsidized by casinos who craftily pulled the wool over their eyes.
In the good-old days, people attended races, and displayed excitement, but the excitement was displayed predominantly as the horses turned for home. The last ¼ was, and is, when the crowd enthusiastically explodes. It worked then, but this is now, and we must compete with more exciting forms of legalized wagering. Fans MUST be stimulated.
The regeneration project begins by realizing the Standardbred industry has all of the ingredients to be a major player in the sports arena but lacks positivity, creativity, and leadership by people who know how to proceed with appropriate action. One of the major magnetisms of major sports are the individuals – their talent and personalities. Horses are beautiful, powerful, mysterious creations, which MUST be featured, and then shrewdly entrenched into the public eye.
