Harness: 2020 scheduling changes provide good lessons for the future

Going back more than two decades, one of my favorite days of the year was always when The Meadowlands would reopen, often the day after Christmas, after its typical fall hiatus.

There was an excitement in the air as fans of the greatest track in the sport waited to see the entries, hoping for a strong field for the Invitational Pace. Maybe some could chalk it up to youthful exuberance, but that fact that I still get excited to see who will enter the Hambletonian or other major races makes me think otherwise.

Absence certainly makes the heart grow fonder and that remains true when it comes to Harness Racing. When the sport was shut down for seven weeks in April and May due to COVID-19, everyone was chomping at the bit to watch it return at Eldorado Scioto Downs. There was build-up of potential energy which was released in late May when bettors came out in droves to support the track immediately and down the road.

In addition to showing us what is possible when people are denied a form of entertainment for a period of time, the pandemic also opened my eyes to the power of an "elite" meet.

The Meadowlands has contested a "championship" meet for as far back as I can remember. It officially begins during the first week of May and lasts through Hambletonian Day, though in reality it spans a five-week period from early July until the first Saturday in August. With stakes or elimination races on the schedule virtually every week, fans/bettors find themselves engaged with the product week-in and week-out through those five weeks.

I believe we saw the same engagement from August 21 to September 26 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. With races like the North America Cup postponed and 2020 additions like the Mohawk Million, the Ontario track put forth six consecutive weeks of must-watch racing.

As a Harness Racing media member, I make an effort to watch stakes races across North America. Even I'll admit that, at least as a live event, there are some I miss. On a Saturday in August, maybe I skip watching the card which would typically feature the Nassagaweya. Not in 2020! I watched weekly because the track put forth a steady stream of major event-level races every weekend. Management provided a reason to watch and I tuned in accordingly.

These marquee meets, where the top races at a track are put on display over a condensed period on the calendar, might be just what certain tracks need to increase interest and maximize handle.
Let's look at Yonkers Raceway. For a six-week period from mid-March through late April everyone in the sport is paying attention to the New York half-miler because the Borgata and Matchmaker series are the only game in town. Later in the year the track hosts the $100,000 Springfield which gets little to no attention up against the Meadowlands Pace. Wouldn't that race fit better alongside the Yonkers Trot and MGM Messenger Pace to create an even better card?

Some tracks have moved races around realizing that one huge day is better than having a solo stakes race on an island. Scioto used to host the Charlie Hill in June but moved it back to September to create one can't-miss card rather than two "we have one or two good races" dates.

What Woodbine Mohawk Park did in 2020 worked well and I'd love to see it become a permanent change. Certainly rearranging the stakes schedule to accommodate elite meets is not going to be easy, but it could very well be worth it in the long term.

Looking ahead to 2021 focusing on 3-year-old pacers, perhaps the Sun Stakes card (Max Hempt) could be moved back two weeks to fill the typical North America Cup slot on June 12/19 and the Meadowlands Pace could move back one week as well to July 3/10. Those races could be followed by the Adios on July 17/24, the Cane Pace on August 7, the Milstein on August 14, the North America Cup on August 21/28, the Messenger on September 4 as a "top money-winners" race since it rarely lures enough horses for two competitive eliminations, then the Little Brown Jug, and so on. That would create better spacing for the 3-year-old pacers.

Of course there is the Somebeachsomewhere, Empire Breeders Classic and other races for 3-year-old pacers, but those could be slotted in late May and early June to serve as preps in their respective regions. As for Sire Stakes, the schedule leaves plenty of room for early and mid-May slots as well as open weeks on the Grand Circuit (June 21, July 26) for those races. Plus, there is no reason there can't be some overlap as not every New York or PA-bred will go to Canada for the NA Cup, and conversely, not every Ontario Sire Stakes horse will travel down to The Meadowlands for the Pace.

We only outlined one division above and the entire schedule would need to be examined prior to making the major changes suggested, but if 2020 taught us anything, it is that we can be nimble and make adjustments to the schedule which work.

Standardbred Racing operates in a crowded environment with way too many entertainment options. There is also simply too much racing; perhaps too many tracks, though that is a topic for another column. Tracks need to provide every reason possible for bettors to tune in, whether that be a break during the year to help build energy and excitement for the future or presenting the absolute best product on a well-outlined schedule to lure them on any given day.