Harness: Scioto taking complete advantage of the COVID-19 opportunity

We are witnessing something rather spectacular right now in Harness Racing. Perhaps we can call it the shining light from the COVID-19 pandemic that sidelined the industry in North America for 52 days.

When Eldorado Scioto Downs returned as the only Standardbred track in the country for three days, everyone expected an immediate spike in handle and we got it. After averaging just $220K in daily handle for 2019, the Columbus, Ohio track checked in at just over $1.1 million per card for its first three nights without the distraction of competition.

For Racing Secretary Jason Roth, who has been at Scioto for 15 years and seen the track persevere through some lean times, he couldn't have been happier with the earlier returns. "It definitely exceeded expectations, as it does now. We were very happy after the first few days. We were going to be happy with $600,000 the way the last few years have went," said Roth.

As we saw with many Thoroughbred tracks that remained active while Harness Racing was dark from April 1 to May 21, the landscape produced a logical gain. Some people may have been expecting more from Scioto during those three dates of exclusivity, as most of us did with The Meadowlands and Woodbine Mohawk Park when each reopened (June 5) to somewhat flat year-over-year returns, but from a more realistic perspective, how much more than 5x can you expect from Scioto?

Night (and some days) after night Scioto has stayed above the $1 million plateau. The streak, which began on May 22 and was brought to a halt on June 9 when the track handled $922K, lasted an implausible 12 racing dates. The track even eclipsed $2 million on June 4, nearly double its best total handle of $1.2 million (set in 1996) in the pre-COVID-19 days.

"We broke the all-time handle record a couple days prior (June 2). After talking to Gabe (Prewitt) and Joe (Morris), and looking at the signals for that day, we said, let's put up 15 races and try to break this record. Then we did it on June 4, too," said Roth.

The monster double-million number on June 4 was amazing, but in some ways perhaps topped by what occurred one day later when Scioto still eked over the million-dollar mark despite going head-to-head with The Meadowlands and Woodbine Mohawk Park. It is one thing to handle $2 million as the only harness track racing in North America. It is quite another to succeed when other tracks are grabbing over $4 million in handle as well.

So how has Scioto remained in the stratosphere of the handle spectrum despite facing the sport's elite tracks? Was it familiarity with the product from previous weeks or something else?

"It is a very good product," said Roth. "These guys race the entire mile. They don’t sit single-file. They are all going at the quarter and they don't give holes. We have very good horses and very good trainers. I think maybe we have gained some fans after what they've seen the last few weeks.

"We do have some big payouts because of the racing style. We were discussing this the other night, Joe, Gabe and I. Our driving colony is deep. You can go 10-deep here and pick up a driver, maybe even 15-deep. You better pull the right line here, because if you don’t you are going to get locked in."

Ohio in general tends to have a faster-paced style of racing, where drivers are more willing to press the pace early rather than try to work out a trip. While it certainly makes the races more interesting as a form of entertainment, that alone hasn’t helped Northfield quite as much as Scioto.

While Scioto held its ground versus The Meadowlands and Mohawk on June 5, Northfield fell back to its pandemic status against the same competition on June 6, going from an average of around $2 million to just over $1 million with the extra competition. So what does Scioto have that Northfield doesn’t?

Scioto offers 10-horse fields (one more than Northfield) in nearly every race, which could lead to more viable betting options and better payouts. On June 7, the track had a pair of 40-1 horses visit the winner’s circle. Scioto also has across-the-board post-position stats that give nearly every horse in the race a reasonable chance. The worst post (9) is currently winning at 6.2 percent versus just 4.5 percent for post 8 at Northfield.

Those believing in the relationship between quality races and handle could certainly point to the card Scioto put on the track Friday versus Northfield on Saturday as the reason why the former held its ground better. Scioto offered two Opens and eight races worth over $12,000 on June 5 while Northfield, perhaps accepting defeat, offered lower-class races, with only one race north of $10,000.

We could debate all night as to the whys for Scioto’s continued success and additionally whether or not it will continue as tracks like The Meadowlands pick up steam when stakes season explodes on the scene in a few weeks at the New Jersey track.

"Meadowlands, Mohawk and Hoosier are all top tracks. On a given overnight card, I'd put our product up there with all of them," said Roth.

After a few weeks of observation, his analysis is dead on. Scioto presents a strong product on a nightly basis with an improving Ohio-bred colony also rounding out the action. With the continued strong management from new Senior Vice President Joe Morris, Gabe Prewitt lending a big hand via social media and behind the scenes, and Roth putting out quality fields, Scioto might have a bright future.