While many people believe harness racing is a dead, or at least dying sport, many tracks are drawing huge crowds to the races by partnering with local charities, especially non-equine organizations. When run properly, not only do these events create new fans and raise money for worthy causes, they often get good local media coverage. There are a few things that every track MUST do in order for these events to be successful in earning return visits. A perfect example of the kind of event I am talking about is the one Pompano Park held last Saturday, benefiting Make A Wish and New Vocations Racehorse Adoption. The event, organized by the Florida Amateur Driving Club, raised several thousand dollars, both from the FADC and from on-track donations. Two teams of drivers competed, headlined by David Miller and Tim Tetrick, who each captained a squad of amateurs, but also drove in the challenge. The FADC has now raised over $190,000 for the two charities. Back in my early days at Northfield Park, Group Sales Director Mary Randall did an exceptional job of pairing with various charities for fundraising events. Some were large, some were small. But each charity received Northfield Park Fun Packs that could be raffled or auctioned off and every attendee got a coupon for free admission (yes, back in the day when racetracks charged admission). The Fun Pack included vouchers for food, wagering, programs and more, and could be valued at anywhere from $25 to $50. The biggest event at Northfield each year was Akron Children’s Hospital Night.  The hospital filled the entire clubhouse, often over 400 people and featured raffles (including a new car), race sponsorships (which meant trips to the winner’s circle to present blankets), rides in the starting gate and raffles. Many doctors attended this affair along with hospital officials and a good portion of them held their practice Christmas parties at the track due to the excitement they felt at the hospital fundraiser. I met many of them on other nights on the grandstand apron while doing my picks. They thought nothing of gambling a few hundred dollars for a night out. But they kept coming back. How do you take this event and create new racing fans? If I had been in charge, every person at the track that night would have received a bounce-back ticket good for a free program and $5 wager (or $10 match play wager). Pompano and the FADC also gave out autographed caps and posters, and I have to imagine getting an autograph from a Hall of Famer (Miller) or future Hall of Famer (Tetrick) would be a pretty powerful tool to get people back to the races. It worked at Northfield and there is no reason it should not work anywhere else. Weather cancellations:  A Facebook page called Harness Racing History (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1672990529655120/) recently showed an indoor training track used by Dan Patch.   With all the weather cancellations we have seen this year, it got me wondering if we could build a covered half mile racetrack, but then I realized that weather cancellations now happen for a different reason than they used to. Thirty years ago, it was a question of fan safety getting to and from the track. Twenty years ago, it didn’t really matter. Most horses were stabled on the grounds and we could bet remotely, so tracks could still get a decent handle out of things, assuming the track itself had not gone through a thaw/freeze/thaw cycle. But now, tracks cancel because horsemen cannot get to the track. There is no barn area, so everyone ships. And, while I remember at least one full card at Northfield of three and four-horse fields due to weather scratches, I quickly realized that my “next great innovation” was not that great after all. Northfield vs. The OHHA:  I was glad to read on March 5 that Northfield Park and the Ohio Harness Horseman’s Association had settled their differences.  But even being charitable, I had to chuckle at the joint press release which stated that they “have reached an amicable resolution regarding their legal disputes.” It then progressed to an absolute lovefest, an amazing and entertaining turn from the rancor that has existed over the last several months. But if Northfield and the OHHA can come to an agreement that will “allow them to chart a new and exciting course for their mutual success,” maybe there is hope for our Congress and President. That’s all for this month. Now go cash. Hopefully on a purse-increased Northfield race.