Harness: Creating a grand spectacle for our major races

The French have given us plenty of great things over the years: Champagne; French Fries; French Toast; The Coneheads. Okay, french fries are from Belgium; french toast is from the ancient Roman empire and the Coneheads are from planet Remulak. At least Champagne is really French, and a lot of the bubbly was being popped January 27 when Belina Josselyn became the first mare to win the Prix d’Amerique in 20 years while in line to Jean-Michel Bazire. It was his fourth win in the race, the first coming with the magnificent Moni Maker, the last mare to take the title (in 1999).

The 1999 race was the first Prix d’Amerique I watched. Mostly, I wanted to see Moni Maker race against the European stars. But as I watched, I became absolutely captivated by the event. Its majesty, pomp and grandeur made it far more than a horse race to those attending or watching via simulcast. The Prix d’Amerique immediately moved ahead of the Elitlopp in Sweden as my favorite foreign race. I vowed to attend one live, and perhaps someday I will. But for now, I watch every year on television or computer, always making a wager, sometimes small, sometimes larger, and usually failing to cash, but it doesn’t matter.

The event, featuring 18 of the top trotters in the world, was started in 1920 to pay tribute to the Americans for helping the French in World War I. A total of 40,000 people (an actual ticketed number, not a made up county fair attendance) converge on the Vincennes Hippodrome de Paris each January to witness the race, which features a purse of 900,000 euros or about $1.035 million. Many of these spectators take advantage of free bus or metro shuttles to get them there! That’s right, public transit subsidizing horse race attendance. There’s an idea we need to try on our side of the pond. The casinos do it all the time, why don’t the racetracks?

There is a lot more we can take from the Paris race to draw new fans into the sport on these shores. First and foremost, the Europeans go all out to put on an entertaining event. As Dean Hoffman, the former editor of Hoof Beats magazine, was there this year and explained, “The French really do know how to put on the show. This is a very special race and they give it a real American feel in many ways, with motorcycles and Wild West track riders this year. I love this pageantry, but I also recognize that it takes a lot of planning and preparation because it has so many moving parts. And surely the cost is enormous.”

We really don’t have anything like that here. Freehold has its Open Space Pace, but not a notable race to go with the celebration of racing. The Meadowlands has offered various fan fest and carnival type activities to promote the Hambletonan. Years ago Steve Wolf’s protégé Vince Silvestro appeared at a number of tracks including Northfield and Pompano, offering a fireworks display from the back of his jog cart. And other tracks have brought in bands and food trucks, but not to the celebratory level we see in France.

Hoffman added, “One thing that didn’t cost too much was pairing each of the drivers in the big race with a young boy or girl as they were introduced. I am sure it was a thrill for the kids and it really gave it a heartfelt touch.”

This is not a new idea. We see it in every professional soccer match from the minor league USL2 here in the States to the Premiership in England to the World Cup. And while it wouldn’t be feasible at every track, depending on paddock location, imagine that we combine the soccer/Prix d’Amerique concept with a little bit of World Wrestling Entertainment. Before the big race (not every race), the horse is walked to the winner’s circle or some other public area and as we hear the track announcer say, “And now let’s meet ABC Hanover’s driver, John Campbell!” Campbell comes out to the track from a private area, theme music playing, fans on either side high-fiving him, with a youngster carrying his helmet. He gets to the horse, gets his helmet from the kid and mounts up. A bit dramatic, but it sure would make for a good visual. And I guarantee that kid will become a fan for life. This is just one small, easy thing we can take from Paris.

I realize that adding these theatrics will not add a dollar to anyone’s wagering pocket, but they may get a local news station out to cover the big race. They will help us find some causal racegoers to check it out and maybe they will turn into longtime fans and bettors. It is something we generally take for granted here in the United States. With the possible exception of the Hambletonian, The Little Brown Jug and perhaps the Breeders Crown (different situation since it is a series of races), we often tend to ignore “the show” and worry solely about the bettors.

As Hoffman concluded in his note to me, “I remember going many years ago to a big race in New York and the horses paraded without any fanfare at all. I had traveled a long way to see this race and thought it was something special. Apparently the track did not. The only way you could tell the difference between this big race and the one before or the one after was by looking at the purse. There was absolutely no pageantry or buildup. That was very disappointing to me.”

It’s a small thing, but it is a thing we have to fix. If the grandeur of Paris can get me up early on a Sunday morning to watch the best trotters in the world, certainly the local track can put something together to motivate you.

Now go cash. Perhaps on Belina Josselyn. And if not, we’ll always have Paris. See you next month.