Harness: Drivers playing too much "Mr. Nice Guy"

About this time every year many folks set aside a moment to ask what they can do better. The sense that January brings about the need to do things a bit differently than December has been a tradition for centuries. From a harness racing perspective, I take note in not necessarily what I can do to effect change but perhaps what drivers might wish to do to improve the product.

There's been discussion far and wide of the need to rid the sport of cheaters who have forever imbalanced the playing field for some. It is a noble cause mind you, but one in and of itself that changes very little on the racetrack. If the idea of eliminating nefarious types was truly game-changing it is certainly hard to define the last nine months of a racing product looking fundamentally different than the previous years.

While there are many factors that have changed the racing canvas over the years to its current iteration, there is a sense from what I'm seeing with regularity that little effort is being made to tighten the rules on drivers who regularly allow favored positions on the racetrack.

Look no further back than Saturday January 2, where the latest equine phenom from Down Under by the name of Let It Ride N managed to improve his position in the early stages for Dexter Dunn without much concern for those who had drawn inside of him in this "Handicap" race.

While those who write about the sport will undoubtedly focus on the incredible mile put in by this son of Rock N Roll Heaven, few will watch the first turn of action and see how little Dunn had to do to find improved position in the early stages despite starting from an outside post.

Before we get too carried away, it would be very easy for any driver on the track last Saturday to indicate the numerous reasons one or two drivers might let the odds-on favorite in front of him. I've heard countless times how advantageous it is to find cover behind the betting favorite. Despite that ringing endorsement by some drivers, from a betting perspective I'd much rather see a horse that leaves from the outside actually have to commit to going to the front from the start. What Dunn was able to accomplish on Saturday has routinely been the courtesy other top drivers have received when leaving from the outside posts at The Meadowlands and other tracks.

Competition on the racetrack can only be accomplished if the betting public feels confidence that drivers are all in actual battle against one another. The first turn of a race where horses are allowed to improve position without struggling, offers the pretense of a collective effort and not the feeling that every driver is working vigorously to secure his position and make it harder on a rival to improve theirs.

The late Joe DeFrank, the original coordinator of the racing product at The Meadowlands, was a regular at the track at night and watched over each race with a fine-toothed comb. One of DeFrank's biggest gripes was when he would watch drivers race half-in half-out down the backstretch. The strategy was effective when a driver could stall the outer flow while waiting to move or perhaps waiting for the horse he was following to advance without cover. DeFrank correctly recognized this strategy may have been beneficial to one person but was counterproductive to allowing all 10 horses to have a reasonable chance to win the race. There were multiple occasions this past Saturday night at the Meadowlands where the outer flow was hampered by one or two horses moving to the outside but not proceeding to challenge the leader.

Many of my generation bemoan the fact that "closers" no longer have the same chance of winning races as they once did over the mile track. Needless to say, it's hard for the clock to be turned back far enough to recreate scenarios popular in the late 1970's and early 1980's. Still, to suggest the sport is not capable of finding answers as to how to make the product less biased from a speed-dominant standpoint is to put your head in the sand and suggest there are no remedies.

For his part, Meadowlands President Jeff Gural says he has tried multiple times to get the drivers at his track to change their regular routine, but the habits of the driving colony have been difficult to break.

"For the first few years, I would meet with the drivers along with the judges. I even had John Campbell with me and we showed videos of old races when you had the (Meadowlands) 'shuffle'. The judges would make a speech about enforcing both rules and maybe the first one or two weekends you would see a difference and then it would go back. Brian Sears was first person fined and he left for Yonkers," said Gural. "I think it is hopeless unless the judges are going to enforce the rules, although I was thinking of telling [drivers] we would enforce it ourselves and tell them to take the weekend off. When you watch the Jockeys they are cutthroat and lodge objections while our guys just seem to not want to rock the boat."

Gural could be on to something as all it would take is one big-name driver getting banned for a few cards to perhaps make others notice that the new "no-tuck" policy was something to take seriously.

It was great to ring in the New Year with impressive betting figures at The Meadowlands. Even more inspirational was the appearance of Let It Ride N as a potential high-class star in 2021. What's important to remember from both of these stories is how the sport can't live 52 weeks-a-year off of a great betting night or one star-quality performance. In order to sustain viability, the racing product needs to be maintained at a high level each and every racing day. Carryovers have certainly proven to attract additional money, with sharp players recognizing how it neutralizes takeout. However, regular players who look to find angles to bet on should really be the main focus for all. The regulars keep the game alive and it's their everyday money that churns and helps to fund a track's purse structure.

It's obviously early in 2021 and hopefully the first taste of quality racing will inspire greater handle. The Meadowlands historically has enjoyed great success with its winter schedule. With many fans still home-bound there is every reason to believe this winter's product can produce its best handle in a long time.

Here's hoping that the New Year can usher in an effort to keep the holes closed on the first turn and keep traffic moving on the backstretch, with rubberneckers not getting in the way of a free-flowing second tier.

On a personal note, I would like to thank all of those who wished me well on election into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame's Communicators wing. It is truly an honor to be grouped with the sports' legends.