Evidence of contracting

[seen2much]

Look at fields on Friday at Yonkers. Very little breeding in NY. Will that get worse with Yonkers having three years left...at most?
Mohawk has 1 division with 7 horses. That is the 3 year C&G. Every year another track seems to close in Canada. The surviving B & C tracks race less & have short fields.
Hoosier has 1 division for their SS divisions.
Buffalo had 3 year old SS trots yesterday. 4 & 5 were the fields for the C&G. 5 & 5 were the fillies fields. DYING!
Oak Grove has great purses...but races around 40 days. The other Kentucky tracks overnights are not special. I think around 120 race days for the state.
The Meadowlands struggles & Freehold closed.
Harrah's Philadelphia purses are low. PA has regressed.
Ohio is doing the best. However...15 races for around 130K on Saturday. That is less than a 9K average.

The reality is the sport keeps contracting. It needs to keep doing that to exist. There are not enough horses to go around. A huge shortages of quality horses.
Who is doing well? The sports biggest cheats, some trot trainers, and select group of breeders.

THE GRIM REALITY OF HARNESS RACING!!!

[seen2much]

I didn't bother to post the pathetic handles & CAW's ruining the few tracks you could bet.

[Pacer 2]

Look at fields on Friday at Yonkers. Very little breeding in NY. Will that get worse with Yonkers having three years left...at most?
Mohawk has 1 division with 7 horses. That is the 3 year C&G. Every year another track seems to close in Canada. The surviving B & C tracks race less & have short fields.
Hoosier has 1 division for their SS divisions.
Buffalo had 3 year old SS trots yesterday. 4 & 5 were the fields for the C&G. 5 & 5 were the fillies fields. DYING!
Oak Grove has great purses...but races around 40 days. The other Kentucky tracks overnights are not special. I think around 120 race days for the state.
The Meadowlands struggles & Freehold closed.
Harrah's Philadelphia purses are low. PA has regressed.
Ohio is doing the best. However...15 races for around 130K on Saturday. That is less than a 9K average.

The reality is the sport keeps contracting. It needs to keep doing that to exist. There are not enough horses to go around. A huge shortages of quality horses.
Who is doing well? The sports biggest cheats, some trot trainers, and select group of breeders.

THE GRIM REALITY OF HARNESS RACING!!!


  HILARIOUS NONSENSE!         You have contracted brain disease LOSER!   

[Kenny]

Just facts!  We have to eliminate the handouts.

[darnoldrocks]

"The reality is the sport keeps contracting. It needs to keep doing that to exist. There are not enough horses to go around. A huge shortages of quality horses."

I would think the best place to look for proof of a contraction would be at the fall yearling sales.   What are the numbers at the big 3 over the last few years?      Lexington, Harrisburg and London

[rainman2]

Look at fields on Friday at Yonkers. Very little breeding in NY. Will that get worse with Yonkers having three years left...at most?
Mohawk has 1 division with 7 horses. That is the 3 year C&G. Every year another track seems to close in Canada. The surviving B & C tracks race less & have short fields.
Hoosier has 1 division for their SS divisions.
Buffalo had 3 year old SS trots yesterday. 4 & 5 were the fields for the C&G. 5 & 5 were the fillies fields. DYING!
Oak Grove has great purses...but races around 40 days. The other Kentucky tracks overnights are not special. I think around 120 race days for the state.
The Meadowlands struggles & Freehold closed.
Harrah's Philadelphia purses are low. PA has regressed.
Ohio is doing the best. However...15 races for around 130K on Saturday. That is less than a 9K average.

The reality is the sport keeps contracting. It needs to keep doing that to exist. There are not enough horses to go around. A huge shortages of quality horses.
Who is doing well? The sports biggest cheats, some trot trainers, and select group of breeders.

THE GRIM REALITY OF HARNESS RACING!!!

Correct on the Yonkers part of this!  SOA has an offer out to horsemen for $ 2400 to race there 3 times between now and mid August.  You don't even have full fields now.  Big money and still not enough horses?  You need good and fast horses to race there and The track being banked for even more speed doesn't help the cause!

Sires stakes in NY right now.

Look at the Buffalo results yesterday for 3 year old trotters.  9 in sires stakes program and 17 in the excelsior's.  Someone said on the thread that only 2 horses wouldn't be getting a check.

The 3 year old pacing division isn't much better.

Wasn't New York the place to race sires stakes years ago?

Isn't Oak Grove in the middle of nowhere [like Vernon and Tioga]?  Good money but a questionable driving colony at best!

Both Harrah's Philadelphia and Pocono raced for a lot more money years ago.  The surface at Harrah's Philadelphia isn't the best either.

Ohio has too many horses!  The # of races proves this.  In addition, look at the classes they race.  A good chunk of them are for lesser horses.  If there wasn't such a 'glut' of horses there, what would be the result?  Less days?  More purse money for the other classes that race there?  Wouldn't this be better for the horsemen?

[Pacer 2]

The only real evidence of contracting is in some of these Ploppers brains.     

[Calhoun]

"The reality is the sport keeps contracting. It needs to keep doing that to exist. There are not enough horses to go around. A huge shortages of quality horses."

I would think the best place to look for proof of a contraction would be at the fall yearling sales.   What are the numbers at the big 3 over the last few years?      Lexington, Harrisburg and London

Lexington
Year - #sold - Median
2025 - 890 - $40,000
2024 - 910 - $40,000
2023 - 948 - $45,000
2022 - 885 - $46,500
2021 - 863 - $44,000

Harrisburg
Year - #sold - Median
2025 - 864 - $22,000
2024 - 763 - $30,000
2023 - 848 - $28,000
2022 - 904 - $30,000
2021 - 774 - $32,000

-gemini

[pocketrocketwinner]

The first half of  the yonkers Friday night card offers the worst gambling product available  worldwide
 

[JT]

The first half of  the yonkers Friday night card offers the worst gambling product available  worldwide

Also what a horrible field for The Messenger

None of the big 3 in for the first leg of the triple crown

Plus a gimmick having the race go 1.3 miles.

I know Meadowlands Pace elims are next week

Just whoever does the scheduling of some of these races is brain dead

As I've said before the triple crown races should be emphasized in harness racing, instead its gimmicks and a shitty field. Great promotion of the sport

That would be like Golden Tempo, Renegade, and Commandment skipping the Derby..the 1st leg of the triple crown.

[Dingus]

The only real evidence of contracting is in some of these Ploppers brains.     

Good point, but could you give us some actual facts instead of dozens of  ?

[G]

The only real evidence of contracting is in some of these Ploppers brains.     

I agree 1000%

[Pacer 2]

Good point, but could you give us some actual facts instead of dozens of  ?

     I LOVE EMOJIS. And thats only 3 there.

[seen2much]

More Evidence of contracting:

It is the championship meet...at the Meadowlands.
They race 1 day this week.
ZERO stakes races, no Opens, & 9 of the 15 races race for under 10K.

[seen2much]

Oak Grove cancelled 2 dates this week. They only add 1 back. Then they are done till next year.
The Meadowlands pushes back Friday post. That is because of heat. They will have 12 instead of 14 races.