What does harness racing have to do to get more fans?

Question

Everyone knows the Thoroughbreds from the Triple Crown races and the Breeders’ Cup. Standardbreds have a long tradition with the Hambletonian, but the sport is still an unnown.

Answer 1

harness racing has a terrible reputation, that it has earned...one , because horses take turns beating each other, for various reasons, not all of which have to do with ability, and some racing fans do not understand that harness racing is about the 'trip' a horse gets as much as raw ability, the other is the misunderstandings that go along with handicapping the races and small things like...drivers not sitting up high (it is like a sail taking wind when a driver sits up, I know Ive jogged a harness horse for a friend of mine who is a trainer/owner in Sacramento (you can see me on one in my profile pics)) the other is that you cant just pass a horse when you sit outside for long (the wind drafts out like racecars so the outside horse works extra hard, this is why drivers sit in the 'pocket' behind the leader (so they draft) and make one run in the stretch at the risk of being boxed in... few people realize that these horses are much more fit than thoroughbreds...they jog a few miles each time they work which is very often, and they race every week , you will be lucky to see a thoroughbred run in consecutive months much less weeks, so you can dispel the above posted rumor that they run each week in spots not intending to win...then there is the questionable trips and intentions of the trainers/owners...some are just out to get a work race in, but cant tell the public...some races are just dumped to get a bigger win price down the road...racing of all types dont have a great future because there arent that many young fans with disposable income as there was in the past, and the entertainment dollar has stiff competition with poker playing,  football, baseball, basketball, Nascar almost every week, cage fighting and IFL, extreem sports and many other money diversions...then just the plain fact that people dont make more money because businesses are being run more lean than ever and the housing market is driving much of the financial indicators that determine money movement, investment and ultimately our wealth or value... there will always be a core group of harness and tb bettors, but that number is slowly but surely dwindling...to the point that many of the tracks are begging to have slots to keep action players and casual players coming...

Answer 2

I wish I knew.  FWIW, harness racing has always had somewhat of a bad reputation among bettors as a sport where races were frequently "fixed."  For years, when I've encountered someone who has that viewpoint, I've asked them why they believe races are fixed, and it boils down to a lot of misunderstandings, IMO.  

For one thing, when the horses are coming down the stretch, the drivers are frequently leaning back in the sulkies and taking a tight hold on the reins.  A friend of mine who spent 12 years training harness horses tells me that leaning back in the sulky takes the weight off the shafts and makes it easier for the horse to speed up, and taking a firm hold on the bit helps to keep the horse collected and on gait.  But people perceive this as the driver holding back on the horse, and so there is the perception that not only is the driver holding the horse back, he's doing so openly.

There's also a perception that since harness horses tend to race more often than Thoroughbreds, that harness horses are entered in races where they aren't intended to win.  

There are a number of other factors-- things like not understanding why the weight of the drivers isn't more closely regulated, as it is for jockeys, and a lack of understanding of how driving a horse differs from riding it.  And a perception that harness racing is somehow less classy, more "blue collar" than Thoroughbred racing.

I don't know.  In its heyday, Standardbred champions were well-known and revered by a public that was still familiar with the sight of horses pulling carts in everyday life.  But we're so long past that now that I think the public tends to regard harness racing as something of a "freak show," and people don't understand it.  That's sad, because there is no doubt in my mind that some of the best harness horses are just awesome racing machines.  I saw Niatross racing at Hollywood Park and I'll never forget it.

Answer 3

they have to stop setting up races....and stop making the best horse

go off stride at 2/5.....stop doing that..and the fans will come back....

Answer 4

I think harness racing just needs to be marketed better.  In thoroughbred racing, we all know when the Triple Crown is, and as the year progresses, especially this year with the win and you're in stuff, you know when the Breeder's Cup will be.  However, I don't think many people outside the horse racing industry could tell you when, let alone where, the Hambletonian is held, the Little Brown Jug, etc.

Harness racing needs to get their races more on national television.  I know a few years ago, ESPN did a Friday night series of racing and even had the Little Brown Jug races on ESPN.  From there, it's just a matter of getting the viewers to watch the events and get the money into the sport.

Answer 5

The biggest thing they need to do is clean up the sport.  You have trainers 'juicing' horses and getting busted (see Seldon Ledford).   You have race fixing.  Over the years, scandal has hurt the sport and I don't envision it really picking up anymore fans in the future as more and more tracks shutter.

Answer 6

I think people are dismissing the fixing allegations a little too cavalierly.  I have a friend who works in the video booth at a harness track and he has caught a lot of shady things on film.  To the track's credit, when they have caught somebody throwing a race...one time he had a close up of a guy trying to slow his horse down in the shadow of the wire...that person is banned from riding there ever again.  They've caught people cheating to try and win, too, and those drivers are usually just suspended.  The off-stride thing is a challenge, too.  When I bet a harness race and my horse goes off stride, it is such a drag.  I understand that's how the races are run, but it makes me a little reluctant to bet another race of that type when there are so many qh and tb races out there.

Answer 7

Ditto on most of what was already posted.  They have a reputation of being big cheats.  Horses can easily get parked outside or blocked on the rail. Drivers have to many ways to cheat with a horse.  I'm not saying thoroughbreds are 100% honest but they are not as blatant as the harness.  They will never recover, they have scared away to many bettors.  They deserve what they get.

Answer 8

get more  high name horses,and big races