US Harness Racing Data

Hi there,

I'm hoping someone might be able to help me. I am relatively new to harness racing, however bet quite a lot on thoroughbred racing mainly from the UK. I am interested in looking at US harness racing but have found that trying to compile information/statistics and generally increase knowledge is quite difficult given the variety of forms information seems to be in.

I'm looking to start betting on US and Canadian harness racing. I've been emailing the 'statistics department' at USTA who have been helpful to a degree.

Onto some of my questions/discussion points which would be great to get some assistance on.....

The first thing that surprised me is there doesn't seem to be an official surface type that you would normally find in thoroughbred all weather racing, such as pro-ride, polytrack, fibresand etc and all I can seem to gleam is it is a limestone or clay surface;

Is there no official surface type?
Do these differ noticeably from track to track?
Am I correct in thinking the 'going' descriptions are Fast, Good, Sloppy, Muddy? What about cuppy?
Do they seal the track when inclement weather is forecast? I posted on the betfair forum but to no use - does sealing the track have any effect on the going?
In the UK going descriptions are often inaccurate and punters tend to time the first couple of races, comparing them to standard times to ascertain their own going. Are going descriptions for harness racing accurate? Are they updated regularly in the meeting? Seems as if the composition of the surface would generally lend itself to a fast going

Regarding timings and or sectionals, are there 'run up times' in harness racing? I'm guessing not as a level break is common however this would be good to clarify. Is there anywhere where I can get statistics on sectionals?

Onto race types, is the below an exhaustive summary of the race types which take place on harness racing:

Conditioned Race - A race where eligibility is based on age/sex, money won or races won
Claiming Race - A race where any of the runners can be purchased or 'claimed' for a specific amount
Invitational/Preferred or Open -A race for the highest rated horses as invited by the racing secretary
Breeders & Sires Stakes - A race where horses are nominated up to a year before. A 'nominating fee' is paid by the owners up front and a series of payments is required thereafter to keep the horse entered in the race

If you are still with me and have the will to live :-) ....

How far in advance do the pools open for racing?
Who provides the morning line odds and where could I get them?
Are there any tipsters or ratings that the market takes notice of causing overbets, etc?

Would be great to hear from anyone who could help with any or god forbid all my questions and generally help out someone who is interested in getting more involved with US harness racing. When I become a multi-millionaire I will remember who helped me :-).

Thanks in advance for any help you may be able to give.

John

Hi,

Disappointed to see not one response :-( Are there any busier forums, or are there any of my questions anyone is interested in discussing?

Kind regards
John

Hi Jwoody, sorry to bump this up but care to post some tips that you've acquired over the years so far? https://imagicon.info/cat/10-3/smile4.png