Dynamic Duo
With Shadow Play's impressive Little Brown Jug performance, dusting off Art Official and Badlands Nitro, among others, it's not a stretch to say that come Breeders Crown time, the best two three-year-old pacing colts in the world may both reside in Canada's Maritime region.
If you were to take horses bought from major North American sales and figure out what percentage ended up in Canada's eastern provinces, the number would be miniscule in comparison to jurisdictions like Ontario, New Jersey, New York or Pennsylvania. Only by appropriately appreciating the tremendous horsemanship and passion for racing in the Maritimes could you ever conceive of such a situation taking shape.
To the connections of both Shadow Play and Somebeachsomewhere -- thank you, we are all very proud!
The Jug Format
This year, The Little Brown Jug Society took the annual debate on heat racing one step further by passing a motion potentially allowing eliminations to he held on a different day than the final. While no move is expected in the near future, it certainly remains an option.
For me, that change would make the Jug almost a write-off on my calendar. Imagine giving elimination winners the inside two or three post-positions, and having to wait a week to see the final, where anyone outside the four-hole may as well stay home.
My proposal - keep everything the same except make it tougher for first heat winners. Defying traditional logic, assign winners posts eight, seven and six in the second heat. The final would be a better race for fans and much more interesting for bettors. Winning the Jug would have more meaning, and with a race-off almost a certainty, the day would build to a fitting climax.
On Whipping
Firstly, I don't believe anyone thinks changes to the whipping rule will offer an upturn for harness racing. It may be on the radar as a problem but I can think of five or 10 bigger problems that rank significantly higher when it comes to turning the ship.
That said, this issue is almost exclusively about optics. Standardbred horsepeople treat their horses impeccably -- 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Those who treat horses abusively during those hours should be locked away. The 15 seconds of urging a horse receives 20 to 40 times a year isn't indicative of their overall well being, but to the casual public, it's often the only picture they receive.
While you can't sit in a teletheatre for 10 minutes without hearing calls like "help him out" and even "hit him again", those fans will learn to adapt to changes as they come. For potential newcomers, I'm encouraged that movement appears to be on its way. While our "A" track drivers in Canada deserve a ton of credit for their general restraint when behind a horse, some events on other circuits are still a little tough to watch.
I'm not sure I've heard the right answer yet, but I'm pretty sure that in this case, less is more.
Ailing Times
In Quebec, where the picture looks very bleak, I sincerely hope the economic impact of an ailing racing economy is managing to get through to the media and government. Asking taxpayers to provide money for horse racing may be a no-win message, even though government failed to live up to their promises. But the thought, true or perceived, of thousands of horsepeople potentially going on welfare with tough economic times on the way just might resonate with the Quebec media.
I hope all sides can focus on a plan that shows racing as a united front, fighting to save the livelihoods of those who will most certainly fall through the cracks.
Takeout Hikes
I hear that takeout increases are being discussed in Kentucky and New York. Management must come to realize that raising takeout is not the same as upping the price of the prime rib buffet. Treat horseplayers like lottery players and you'll slowly lose every last one.