SUPER STARS

[Any1Left]

We all love our superstars,,,,,,,,,,,,   RON BURKE the best of the best and Bill Robinson who produced legends in this sport or Bret Pelling and Jimmy Takter and many who think Walter CASE was the greatist ever to sit in the bike and these are our superstars just like TOM BRADY AND WAYNE GRETZKY and MICHAEL JORDON,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Yes the first group should be in prison and the second group is what we would love our children to be,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Who on this site would want their children or grand children in this sport or who would stand in line to get an autograph picture of the first group and yesterdays superstars put out a way better product than todays stars,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Can you imagine that today the stars do not even want their kids near this sport and yet no person in this industry has pushed the red button that says MAYDAY MAYDAY AND THE USTA at years end will meet at some hotel and have guest speakers that are complete morons and walk out with smiles on as if it was a job well done,,,,,,,,,, I would here Gary Seibiel every year talk about the growth in this sport as the faces were getting older and older and that was and is the USTA MEMBERS and i see horsemen get involved  in conversations about GASGOOTS but never about the truth in the industry and these same people will talk about the glory days that are gone and never talk about the racing today,,,,,,,,,,,,, Every race at every track looks like a WEG RACE where 6 guys leave and they all get holes and the guy on the lead rids head and lets a small price go and he rips head and the chalk is on the lead with a 28,3 second quarter and a 28,1 third quarter and 26,3 final quarter and then the crew talks about a well run race and how great some of the top finishing horses raced and i wake up the next day and it is ground hog day,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[Any1Left]

I forgot one super trainer the great RICHARD MOREAU and as Randy would say,,,,,Richards got a keen eye as he can look at one and know the problem right away and man does he got that comment dead on but the only thing is when that horse is claimed and the new trainer KEEPS richards changes the problems come right back............I CANT FIGURE THIS OUT,,,,,,,,

[LUCPARK]

NANCY IS THE BEST IN THE SPORT TODAY

JUST FACTS..

2 HAMBOS.RECENTLY
.PLUS ALL THE OTHER BIG RACES ..

[dougie]

I wish that I could totally understand the dynamic of why Harness Racing has had such a steep decline. So many opinions. So many reasons. The nation has changed. So many alternatives to gamble on. Most fans of this great sport are "aging out". When I was last at Freehold, I didn't see a fan under 60 walking around. Same at Monticello in July. But I think the biggest reason is the perception that the races "are fixed". The idea that those involved in the sport are "crooks". A very sad commentary for our sport. And what can the USTA do to address this issue? I don't know. Is it to late to fix? Has it festered to long? Again, I wish I had the answers. I do know one thing. I've owned both "runners" and "trotters". And there are bad actors in throughbred racing too! For some reason, there is "less stink" on them, compared to the people in harness racing. The racing "elite" are great at marketing. We are abysmal at it.

[jupiter]

We have no history any more. I don't think if Delvin walked thru the paddock at the Meadows, many people would know who he was and did. Same with Billy, Stanley, Herve, Insko and the the other past Super Stars. We also have no reverence for the horse. Look at Nicky boy and the rest of his crew did to those horses. Great publicity and the powers at be put their collective heads in the sand or up their asses. How many young people want to sit at a race track for 14 races with the drag, AND NO ACTION. Nothing to see in between races, listen to the announcers boring comments. These people are used to fast paced action not the 1940's  and 50's.

[gh2009]

dougie:

I also think some people think when a driver is leaning back in the sulky, they're stiffing their horse, when it's normal to drive that way. Harness racing hasn't been able to attract younger fans, and as the hard-core old timers die off, they're no one to take their place.

[Any1Left]

Jupiter i see it the same way as you do and i believe the commentators just are so bad and dishonest that it makes me sick,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Bad talk is better than no talk and racing wants no talk,,,,,,,,,,,,,Can you imagine a worse show anywhere than the hoosier park show or a worse show than the Ontario shows and thats what you get when the people hiring these people do not gamble,,,,,,,,,,,, Look at the USTA PEOPLE THAT NEVER PLAYED MAKING ALL DECISIONS for the game,,,,,,,,,, Horses paying 1-5 really does not attract a younger crowd and its really bad when its a poor 1-5 shot who the worst handicappers the drivers think cant  get beat,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[JT]

I wish that I could totally understand the dynamic of why Harness Racing has had such a steep decline. So many opinions. So many reasons. The nation has changed. So many alternatives to gamble on. Most fans of this great sport are "aging out". When I was last at Freehold, I didn't see a fan under 60 walking around. Same at Monticello in July. But I think the biggest reason is the perception that the races "are fixed". The idea that those involved in the sport are "crooks". A very sad commentary for our sport. And what can the USTA do to address this issue? I don't know. Is it to late to fix? Has it festered to long? Again, I wish I had the answers. I do know one thing. I've owned both "runners" and "trotters". And there are bad actors in throughbred racing too! For some reason, there is "less stink" on them, compared to the people in harness racing. The racing "elite" are great at marketing. We are abysmal at it.

Hate to disagree Dougie but alot of people think NFL games are fixed and look how much money gets bet on it along with fantasy football. To me it's a combination of a few things. First, when I was a kid the only casinos were in Vegas and Atlantic City. Now they are everywhere. People would get their gambling fix through racing.. no need now casinos everywhere. Secondly, the sport is promoted poorly to say the least, Third, ridiculously high take outs. Fourth, the legalization of sports betting in a lot of states. Fifth and probably most important is people..especiall y the younger generation doesn't have much of an attention span at all. 20 or 25 minutes between races is ridiculous. Also let's be honest alot of these tracks are rundown shitholes. I read a couple articles about Freehold closing and what type of shape it was in. Why would anyone want to go there to spend an afternoon and fall through a broken down bench,weeds everywhere,escalators not working, no good food options etc..I actually commend Scioto Downs for investing in tearing down their old Grandstand and building a new one. It's really nice. I agree with everything you said with standardbreds and thoroughbreds

[dougie]

JT, you make all good points. I'm 67 years old and have been a fan since i'm 12. I remember going to Roosevelt on a Saturday night with a crowd of 25,000 people attending With all these casinos everywhere and sports betting popping up all around, what chance does harness racing have to get a share? Here in Maine, they just put their first "Sports Book" in a restaurant in downtown Portland. We have been hearing for years that investors plan on a new track here in Maine. I don't think it will ever happen. I feel bad about harness racing's future.

[Any1Left]

JT AND doug No one cares if the NFL games are fixed as tv hosts mention on the shows that guys got caught and they talk about NEW ENGLAND trying to steal other teams plays and messing around with footballs and we as fans are not lied to and its that simplr,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Racing believes in lies and fairy tales,,,,,,,,,,,IT IS GAMBLING WITH MONEY INVOLVED AND THEY WILL CHEAT,,,,,,,,,,,But we get truthful info to bet on and i a guys gets caught using cocaian they will tell us also if a team mate pushes the coach they tell us unlike harness racing afraid to lose their last 6 bettors,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[Harness racer]

Harness racing “stars” are only known by people around the game.  They are far from stars in the general public’s eyes.  Everyone in the world knows the other guys. 

[Any1Left]

Stars are people that leave nothing on the field ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, And Jordan never played soft because it was not a plaofff game but harness drivers play soft every race and they are not stars as who on here would want to have dinner with BURKE ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[mwins]

You left out McGuire, Sosa, Clemens, Rose.

To include Moreau with Burke is hilarious.
Replace him with Yves Fillion, Justin Fillion, and Sylvain Fillion.

[JENNY FROM THE BLOCK]

all these points are valid. evry horseman honest and crooked i ever known never wanted their kids in the business.
things will never change until the pockets of the people at the top are affected substantially. until then why would they feel there needs to be changes. they are getting older. they did what they needed to do to keep fat their pockets. no one at the top obviously feels the need to improve or keep the future going in a positive direction.
its truly a sad situation.  it will be dead unless something happens and fast.
i feel there needs to be one governing body. cut down the B and C tracks.
only A tracks fund the shit out of them. race for profesional money. let the federal gov do all the testing. make it be a privelage to race horses.  and market the shit out of the sport. maybe 5 tracks nationwide.  it could work.  it would be a ton of work that im not sure the current heads are willing to do cause why do they care. they are riding into the sunset with fat pockets.

[Grandstand Handicapper]

I wouldn't waste time debating who are harness racing's superstars. Like I said about trainers, one person says John Smith, another person says he's a cheat, drug trainer, criminal, etc. Regardless, it doesn't matter. That's not the problem anyway. The problem is multifaceted, originates from a much larger and wider landscape, and is like the Greek mythological monster, Hydra (cut off one head and two or more grow back).

The sport of baseball survived the steroids scandal----even with MLB having direct involvement. Argue all you like to what extent. But, the sport is still here. WWE survived their steroids scandal-----even with direct involvement. Entertainment, not a sport, but still here. The verdict may still be out, but it appears bike racing will survive the Lance Armstrong scandal----even with the governing body or bodies having direct involvement. Say what you like, but still here and recovering.

The problem----like with the US steel industry----started during the heyday. It is when times are very good that you take your eye off the ball. Back in the 50's and 60's when harness racing was doing very well. The sport and the industry became complacent. They didn't look to grow, vertically, horizontally, or otherwise, they didn't look to modernize, capture new audiences, market, mature, look to the future, etc. They looked at what drove the bottom line.....Handle. They figured more people would bet than would come for dinner. Drugs were present, just not rampant. Don't think John Dickerson, Budd Doble, Edward Allen, Edward Harriman, and the forefathers of harness racing were saints.....and neither was Billy Haughton and Stanley Dancer, LOL. Nobody looked at casinos as competition. I couldn't care less if it was or wasn't. Betting against the house is different than betting against everyone else, LOL.

But, then, came the sheep in wolf's clothing.....OTB. Then casinos, sports books, the VLT/Slots aspect, poker, alternative forms of gambling, casinos attached to tracks, and so on and so on and so on. This is about what happened INSIDE our sport and industry, and OUTSIDE our sport and industry. And our sport and industry did little to nothing about either. So much has taken place both INSIDE and OUTSIDE our sport and industry, and here we are today. Inside, we are to blame. Outside, we did nothing, so we are to blame. People who run race tracks are not running in the sport. They are running a race track. For profit. Because of blind eyes and deaf ears, damage done is irreparable. So we are left with bandaids and damage control. We are left with limited solutions, and can only rebuild on what those solutions provide. Everyone has their own opinion. Remember, the t-bred people hired professionals, experts, to handle the casino/slots/business issues. The harness people did it themselves.

Me, I think the solution is (in the short-term) less racing, less races, less tracks (purge and consolidation), which if done properly can improve the quality of the product in the long term, and which can then lead to more races and racing. I also think HIS is part of the future. Zero tolerance for illegal drugs and cheaters. There will be universal rules and regulations, compliance, and governance. The tracks of the future will look like a combination of Gulfstream, Monmouth Park, CD, Santa Anita, the new Belmont, the Meadowlands, and Woodbine/Mohawk. Tracks for the most part will be built to hold 10,000 to 20,000 not including "hospitality" and "corporate" (not 50,000 or 100,000), but will accommodate the big days, like the Derby. We are not going to get regular days of 20,000 and more people. If we ever see that again, it will be a long way off and will be if there is limited racing. The track of the future may be attached to a casino, and if so, and if owned/operated by a horseman, will thrive because they will take revenue from alternative sources of revenue and redeploy it to the racing side of the facility and business. If it's not who knows what will happen. The tracks, like Gulfstream, will be multi-use, destination properties and venues. They will have some or all of the following-----restaurants, sports books, casinos, poker, retail, shopping, comedy clubs, nightclubs, office space, hospitality, residential, and more. All of those revenue sources, including racing line item, and yes simulcasting, will all be revenue sources. Just like any other business. You have your cash cows, superstars, dogs, and loss leaders. I don't think racing will be a loss leader under this model, but remember, loss leaders aren't always left to die and they are not killed. Regardless, I also think a track's signal, their "content" will be commoditized and monetized far more in the future than it is today. Look at what happened to the NBA and their "content" before they were a live product. Lastly, I think because there will be less tracks, OTB's or OTW's, or whatever you want to call them will also thrive. However they will be like the ones I saw in Chicago back in the 80's and 90's.

Today, here, on this BB, is even part of the problem. You have people who are part of the problem and you have people who are part of the solution. If all you have to say is the business is dead, negativity, finger pointing and blame, etc., then tell your story walking and go play bingo. You are contributing nothing toward a solution. You are nothing more than the heckler, critic, and saboteur, and don't lift a finger to contribute or improve. I may have said a lot above, but it's observation and opinion on history. It's not perpetuating status quo, decline, negativity, etc. I embrace change and progress, and efforts-----Gural, HISA, and more of the like. Casino ain't going away. We have to embrace them and use them to our advantage. That is why I want to see Gural get a casino. He'll support racing. Harrah's won't. So I support Gural.

That said, all of what I wrote.....and about $6.....will get you a fancy frappuccino drink at Starbucks. LOL.