I believe a new track record was set at Yonkers on Saturday night (April 21). Sadly the record did not come within the scope of a horse race but in between events. Whether you want to call it “post time lag” or “post time drag” it really doesn’t matter, but if you want to break a record simply try to do better than the 18 minutes between “Zero” minutes to post and an actual starting gate opening with horses tentatively leaving. That’s how long it took to reach the $532K George Morton Levy Series final. Perhaps there was a design in building expectations for the richest race of 2018 that allowed such an egregious gap between first seeing horses lining up within the paddock to actually watching them do what is generally more exciting. If that was the case, could anyone have imagined anything more boring than having a single camera focused on one horse with a caretaker anxiously awaiting to set him free on the racetrack but instead biding time to a non-existent clock? It’s hard to imagine we’re in an era where the simple task of putting on a single race has been reduced to this. That the word progress could somehow be misplaced to give off the vibe that the use of robotic cameras has advanced the production into this century. The equipment, whether manned or machined, can’t tell the story on its own and therefore direction needs to be placed and coordinated in order to facilitate something worthy of attention. That graphics appeared on screen after the horses came out of the paddock to list horses with the morning lines next to them and a purse described as $200,000-added indicates that progress has not in fact been made. When actual odds are in place and the final purse is well known, could there be any real purpose to showing such graphics? Or is the only attention anyone has considered is to simply wait as long as possible to drag as much handle into one race, regardless of what the screen looks like or how it feels to painfully wait for something to actually start? Aesthetics should matter to those putting on a production and the tedious minutes leading up to the actual running of the Levy Final could have been filled with far more entertainment to those who were forced to wait. With 18 minutes to spare there was ample time to show entire clips of past Levy finals. With 18 minutes to spare there was ample time to interview drivers, trainers, owners and even directors of racing. With 18 minutes to spare there could have been a few commercials promoting future events. With 18 minutes to spare we could have shown highlights of elimination races. With 18 minutes to spare we could have shown statistical breakdowns of how favorites have made out in past Levy finals. There are some who criticize that they were more upset with the 1 minutes and 52 seconds that followed the delay and produced a decisive victory for the second year in a row for Keystone Velocity and his connections. I’m not among the group. The winner went off as the favorite and that just explains the value of post position and current form more than it suggests others didn’t do enough to challenge. Sure, on paper we could have expected a few more interested parties to take on Western Fame from his pole position. Most notably the quick retreat of Dr J Hanover into the pocket was puzzling considering that every horseman alive knows how fast that horse is out of the gate. That driver Brett Miller wasn’t aggressive at the start and didn’t move Dr J Hanover before Dan Dube rifled Keystone Velocity was the difference in a slower opening half as opposed to an escalated one. That said, the old veteran showed up with a solid third quarter withstanding the pressure of a determined Somewhere In L A and leaving early leader Western Fame in the dust. That the top two finishers were the two oldest horses in the race is reason to be proud of the standardbred breed. Keystone Velocity and Bit Of A Legend N may be veterans but they weren’t overly raced during the earlier parts of their careers and that may explain why at 10 and 9-years of age they continue to perform at the highest level with regularity. While trainer Rene Allard’s name has made headlines for the wrong reasons (potential suspension in Canada), he did make the scene and brought along a large number to share the winner’s circle with him. In an era where far too often winner’s circle photos are shot without any owners, it was nice to see a large contingent in celebration. Allard too was quick to give credit to everyone associated with the horse. It’s hard to evaluate the wagering on the Levy final. With a total pool of $137K it was the highest pacing race handle of the year. Whether that’s a good number or not, I guess depends on perspective. If you believe that a race with a half-million dollar purse tag should attract more wagering then there’s no question this was a disappointment. However you could also compare current Yonkers product interest to recent years and suggest it was a huge success. I’m caught in the middle. I thought on paper the race had enough variables to attract a wider betting audience than is accustomed to wagering at Yonkers. I thought that the race received plenty of hype coming in and that potential players were given ample time T plus 18 minutes to be exact. What the 2018 Levy final left us feeling was that there is ample room for improvement. If there is going to be a drag to see that unfold, let it be time spent between racing days. There’s no need to put the betting public through the long time warp.