Pocono: Horses to go eight-wide behind the gate in 2022

When the gate opens on February 12 for the first race of 2022 at The Downs at Pocono, the one glaring change will be the absence of a horse starting from post position nine. As an experiment, the five-eighths-mile oval will adopt the eight-wide setup used at Harrah's Philadelphia to see if it increases interest in racing at Pocono.

"The PHHA [Pennsylvania Harness Horseman's Association] wanted to make the change, and I didn't really press the point," said Pocono Director of Racing Rick Kane. "We've seen a lot of scratches from post nine as horses seem to get 'nine-hole-itis.' Hopefully this will cut down on that."

"It's a little experiment," said PHHA Executive Director Michael Harant. "One of the things we hear all the time is that Pocono isn't the easiest place to ship to for people, especially from New Jersey and Delaware. Then they run the risk of getting the nine-hole, which doesn't have the greatest success, especially with younger horses. It's been a struggle to fill the fields, so if people know right off the bat it is going to be eight horses, maybe we'll get more participation and more people will ship out there."

There were 1,786 races at Pocono in 2021. Like most tracks, it was a struggle to provide full fields, though Pocono had a harder time than most. Post six saw 1,727 starters, post seven 1,481, post eight 988 and post nine a paltry 401. Just 22 percent of the races at Pocono had nine starters, compared with 41 percent at Harrah's Hoosier in 2021, and 49 percent at Northfield Park and 51 percent at The Meadows this year.

Driver Marcus Miller, who is competing in all 14 races on the opening day card, didn't even realize the experiment was in play.

"I did notice I didn't draw any nines," said Miller laughing, before discussing how the change might affect the racing. "It's tough to win at Pocono period. You have to be up close. This could change the flow of the race with one less horse potentially leaving and pressing the pace."

Travis Alexander, a top-10 trainer at the Wilkes-Barre track in 2021, had no real opinion on whether the change would be positive.

"I never really liked the nine-hole, but like the eight at Yonkers, it is just part of racing, and you just deal with it. I see what they are trying to do but I always thought nine on the gate was better than eight for betting purposes. Maybe the nine should be a trailer?"

The idea of a trailer is in the back of Harant's mind, and he said it could be explored during the summer.

"The nine-hole is on the ridge of the track, and it isn't the easiest place to start at Pocono. We'll see how eight-wide works out. We had the second tier at Chester [Harrah's Philadelphia] a while back and did one race a day like that. The stats really weren't that good, which is why we stopped."

Statistically, post nine won 5.5 percent of the races at Pocono in 2021, meaning just 22 horses were victorious from that spot. Post eight produced a 7.6 percent win rate and post seven 8.6 percent. All posts from one to six checked in between 11.5 percent and 19 percent.

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The great post nine reduction of 2022 will also affect the stakes races, from early and late closers to the rich Sun Stakes finals. The Earl Beal, Max Hempt, James Lynch and Delmonica Hanover, scheduled for August 20, will only accommodate eight-horse fields. Since those stakes are set up for the top money-earners, with three divisions each and purses ranging from $100,000 to $300,000, Harant is hopeful the change will mean 12 stakes races with eight horses in each.

"Last year we only had one second consolation, I think the pacing colts was the only division. So, I'm hoping this change gets us three full races for each of the stakes," said Harant, figuring that having one less horse in the main race and first consolation would move two to the second consolation and provide a greater opportunity to fill that race.

"I really feel [the top money-earners format] filters out the horses into the category they belong in," said Kane on the Sun Stakes format. "It helps the little guy and gives them a chance to make some money."

The number of horses behind the starting gate isn't the only change people can expect in 2022. Post time is being moved back to 1:30 P.M. when the track races on Saturdays, Mondays and Tuesdays.

"Getting up there for 8:30 A.M. Lasix isn't the easiest thing in the world. We are just trying to be accommodating and maybe that translates into fuller fields," said Harant.

Opening day drew 14 races with 11 full eight-horse fields, two with seven horses and one with six. A rare harness track that tends to move its card along, the plan is to complete an entire 14-race program in just four hours.