Need to Change the Purse Structure of Harness Racing

[Dr. Adam Freeham]

Way too
much money is given to the claiming horses. Tracks should
take much of that money away and funnel it to young
conditioned horses. It would be a great boost to the breeding
industry and help the yearling buyers pay training expenses.
Its a win-win situation for the entire industry. The claiming
carousel is feeding a small group of people that enjoy
pushing the envelope and really does nothing for the
entertainment factor in our sport. Basically, the same trainers
win all the time and it becomes a game of musical horses.
Saturday night at Pocono Downs in just five claiming races,
14 horses changed barns. The reason for this is simple: the
tracks balance the condition sheet to favor claiming horses.
At the Downs, you can race a 25k claimer for $18,000,but a
maiden races for $12,000.
This is doing little to help our business. There are many
instances where our thoroughbred counterparts race
maidens for as much as $100,000.True,one can argue that
they dont race as often as our horses do and they are more
expensive, and I am not saying we should race for that much,
but a $25,000 maiden race would do a lot to support the
breeders and yearling buyers.

[JL52]

Absolutely correct. Chance of happening: about 10%

[Atthetrack7]

Claiming races for cheap stock should be done away with, minimum claimer should be at least 25,000.  If you want to sell your cheap junk, put them on the board.  And horses over 8 should have a limit put on their number of starts in a year, say 15-20 max.

  Seeing the same old junk racing the same old junk week after week is not helping the sport

[Powerful Patricks Ghost]

Maiden Special Weights going for 100k rarely happen. When they do, they're also at tracks that actually have the handle to support the purse. Why should a track like Pocono have a 100k maiden race when the fucking handle is barely double that?

[The Exporter]

Mr. Campbell, I completely understand your concept of feeding the overnights as they are the greater part of the wagering base. The problem is, that base has shrunk to such a small portion of the gaming dollar, it's contribution to the game is negligible.
 I am a solid proponent of flipping the current splits of slot money to favor the breeding industry.

 In New York about $80,000,000 a year is donated to overnight purses and, about $10,000,000 going to sire stakes and breeders. If the state would reverse this and give the breeding industry the $80,000,000 it would revolutionize the industry. The amount of mares based in the state, a number of world quality studs would be in NY. in just a few foal crops, the horse population would double.  The Count Fairgrounds would all be rebuilt to state of the art facilities. The stakes program would expand to 4 year old and older horses. People would gain the all important familiarity of competitors in their respective divisions.  And, most importantly, harness racing would be more about agriculture and the county fair than the gambling industry. A much easier and better protected political class than gambling.
 Measuring your success by your handle no longer supports the industry. The greatest handling track, M1, still needs state funding to stay in business.

[CaliRacer]

Way too
much money is given to the claiming horses. Tracks should
take much of that money away and funnel it to young
conditioned horses. It would be a great boost to the breeding
industry and help the yearling buyers pay training expenses.
Its a win-win situation for the entire industry. The claiming
carousel is feeding a small group of people that enjoy
pushing the envelope and really does nothing for the
entertainment factor in our sport. Basically, the same trainers
win all the time and it becomes a game of musical horses.
Saturday night at Pocono Downs in just five claiming races,
14 horses changed barns. The reason for this is simple: the
tracks balance the condition sheet to favor claiming horses.
At the Downs, you can race a 25k claimer for $18,000,but a
maiden races for $12,000.
This is doing little to help our business. There are many
instances where our thoroughbred counterparts race
maidens for as much as $100,000.True,one can argue that
they dont race as often as our horses do and they are more
expensive, and I am not saying we should race for that much,
but a $25,000 maiden race would do a lot to support the
breeders and yearling buyers.

very good post.

[Inside The Pylons]

The sooner the sport rids itself of the Ma and Pa stables the better it is for all.  We don't need no under funded people holding everyone back.

If I could race my maiden for $25,000, I would never ever let the colt win under any circumstances. I have been the breeder, owner, trainer, and driver of many a good maiden.

and put a dollar cap, the same as winning one race.  nw 1 or 12,500

[caddy]

Don't buy in to the numbers spewed by breeders. It's all a ruse to price out the little guy. Why do you think you see the same blowhard owners and breeders in the winners circle at every major stake race we offer. It's a fucking fraternity that  has become more and more incestuous yearly. It's the same owners partnering up with each other in all combinations to control that part of the business. By rewarding the claiming and aged conditioned races with higher purses and lowering the maiden and NW2-5 purses, it will help to even out the playing field so that maybe Mom or Pop might make enough money with their claimers to buy a yearling without crooked legs and take a shot at winning a Jug or Meadowlands Pace. As it exists now, the little guy has no shot on the Grand Circuit. The best bred and best conformed are too expensive.

the lo end claimers are favored fun bets for w/e track guests that are not necessarily savvy handicappers.  They do support the sport and enjoy those races where most every lo-end claimer just might win  *  even the longshots.   As Mike points to - if a goal is expand the reach of the sport and increase participation, then what sense does it make to raise the ownership entry level beyond the reach of smaller investors? 
There's a small contingent of big shot breeders / owners / stables that, as others have pointed out, have the wherewithal to dominate the top end.  However, while some baseball fans love the front runner deep pocket Yankee - RedSox - Dodger franchises - there are just as many that relate easier to Oakland - Pittsburgh  and small market teams.
There is not just one business model to deliver product for the support - actually, the casual bettors might just like the old, worn out claimers better than open horses - and, definitely better than NW conditioners.  To that regard -- the idea is correct ... change the purse structure and increase the purse amount for low end horses that perhaps are generating more betting interest than other classes.

[Fair is fair]

Also in gurfiens article he said that it is bad for the industry importing all the over seas horses that there are plenty of horses for sale in the us . BULLSHIT. Young or old trainer trying to get new investors in the game have a very hard time buying horses. If there were more claimers and less condition races, i feel we could attract new owners easier. Especially money investors. This is still a BUSINESS. NOT ENTERTAINMENT.... .

[spaheaven]

They should do away with claiming races...make it harder for surick, allard, etc. to drug all those nags.

[The Exporter]

the lo end claimers are favored fun bets for w/e track guests that are not necessarily savvy handicappers.  They do support the sport and enjoy those races where most every lo-end claimer just might win  *  even the longshots.   As Mike points to - if a goal is expand the reach of the sport and increase participation, then what sense does it make to raise the ownership entry level beyond the reach of smaller investors?
 What weekend track guests, caddy? The game you are speaking of has been in the shitter for 30 years. It is only made possible by the unearned income from the taxpayers. It is the same mentality that was used to put a billion dollar casino in Monticello. Those days are gone.
 Look to the future. In the future there is no scale for weekend players of cheap claimers.

[Jazzman]

why do people always want to give money to breeders they do nothing and i mean nothing for racing they take all the investment money out of racing and put nothing back in

[wise owl]

If it wasn't for the breeders be no racing your only a maiden once your a claimer for life,s

[wise owl]

your only a maiden once your a claimer for life breeders spend a ton of money to operate its not cheap if you think there is a lot of money in it just try it.

[Poker King]

They should do away with claiming races...make it harder for surick, allard, etc. to drug all those nags.

ABSOLUTELY AGREE 100% Just take a look at the very successful training colony of the claimers... Let’s begin.... Allard, Oakes, Ruiz, Dowdall, Godinez, Fusco, Surick, Banca, Pena and the list goes on. Stop enabling these guys!!! What this means is they can be somewhat stopped by eliminating claimers and writing nothing but conditions. The problem with that is the “Race Secretary’s” would actually have to do some work other than change the dates on a weekly condition sheet!!!