How do we make Harness Racing strong via today's sports betting market

[Maorisidol]

Today we live in a mobile digital world.
Most people these days have the internet in their pocket on their smartphone.
Most people ON a trotting track these days have grey hair.
In 10 or more years 70% of them or more will not be with us.
Hence we need new people.
We need to connect with them thru Social Media, cos thats where they are.
Its the biggest shift in technology and communication EVER and its happening virally faster than most realise.
Make it specky, make it exciting, make it social, make it fun, make it relevant.
The trots should be on Instagram, with shots from a sulky, shots from the bar, shots from the grandstand, shots from a Go-Pro camera looking back at the driver mounted on the saddle.
To CONNECT with nearly anyone under 50 years of age, you will find them,(and might i say way cheaper than TV ads and other traditional forms of advertising that were all relevant 20 years and 10 and 5 years ago,) on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat etc.
I was in San Diego recently at the IHRSA World Fitness Convention and Trade Show, and of the key speakers to present to the absolute most powerful Club Owners in the US Europe Asia NZ and Australia was a guy called Gary Vaynerchuk and he blew the 2000 people away. He was the only person over 4 days to get a standing ovation, it was amazing, incredible, moving, stunning, i left that presentation went back to my hotel room and went online to buy 2 of his books. he was all about Social Media and he grabbed those 2000 people by the shirt, slapped them in the face and told them they are ALL advertising in a 2004 kind of way expecting a 2014 result. Ya gotta change. Ya gotta get relevant. Ya gotta get CURRENT.
Now i am not saying this is THE answer but by hell if you are not on it, you’re not in it. You wanna learn about Social Media, google Gary, and if you don’t think this is real, by hell you will change your mind if you read enough, it won’t take long.

I think the Kids trot races are one of the cleverest innovations. Its gets the kids a taste of the electricity of being in a race and funnels them into junior drivers and so on.
Their families follow them thru their journey, their friends come to the track to watch and you must imagine it should produce us better drivers in the long term. Just like most Formula 1 race car drivers started in go-karts, makes sense.

As others have alluded to, how about pushing syndicates?
Have a marketing team put together a package to sell to businesses from a staff bonding, Team Building, Social Committee point of view that brings the staff together and to bond out of work. Employees are always after a great staff environment and want to be known as a “preferred employer”.
The company could buy a $10,000 or $20,000 racing pacer. The staff can "buy in" for $50, $100, $500 or whatever, hell the company can even make a profit on it if they are smart. It can be part owned or at least guided by a HRV staff member (for example) who get a local Melton trainer to PRIMARILY race at Melton cos most syndicate owners may live not too far away.
Each club could have a similar concept where the sole purpose of this horse with maybe 100 owners or 10 owners race regularly at each local meeting to get as many owners TO THE TRACK as possible. And of course they will bet…
Sell 100 syndicates around Australia and thats a lot of people. Give each horse a Facebook page that the owners regularly go to and virally all the “friends” of the owners find out about the trots!

[HaroldParker]

"Driver Chris Alford (Chilli Palmer, $1.40 fav) explained that he had attempted to gain a three wide trail into the race, initially behind Kotare Roland NZ (Emmett Brosnan), however when that gelding failed to shift wider he gained a trail on Im Barney Rubble NZ (Lance Justice) which failed to take him sufficiently into the race. Mr Alford added that over the fast final quarter it would always be difficult for Chilli Palmer NZ to make up ground when wide on the track."

Back to back weeks Chris Alford has got away with shockers on Chilli Palmer but at least this past week the Stewards noted it and probably apologized for bothering him afterwards : )

A 1.51 on the CV Track/Distance, a 4yo Classic in WA and a recent Geelong Cup win and as a red hot Fav he's playing cat and mouse with no hopers back in the field when the leaders are crawling in front.

Ballarat April 24, I'm Smouldering (Gavin Lang) 1-3 Fav, tucks in 6th of 8 in the running line, makes no effort at all to improve his position with the leaders dawdling, closes late for the 3rd. Not a peep from the Stewards.

Fast forward a week and racing for 25K, I'm Smouldering (Gavin Lang) around them from the second line to sit parked as soon as they settled. Not a peep from the stewards and no COT.

Three of the four examples above (this past fortnight) resulted in the defeat of prohibitive short priced public elects. All of which were basically ignored by Stewards.

When similar occurs at the Gallops, Stewards are all over it. Alford and Lang might be the best drivers in Victoria but the best jockeys in Victoria wouldn't get away with it. Jockeys would be reprimanded for their lack of initiative.

I missed a chunk of Aussie harness from 2003 - 2012 working abroad. 10+ years ago those policing the sport were far more on the ball than this current mob.

The sport has a credibility problem from the ground up. It needs to start there.

[cyclone george]

One thing I did miss - integrity is vitally important ,but don't think it improves betting turnover. When the blue magic saga was going on in Vic turnover went up about 6 per cent , which means exposure of any kind can help. For f&$@ sake people put money in poker machines. I am also a big fan of driver colors- sex sells we've got a lot of good looking girls driving ,let's get a following of the blokes that follows drivers as well just promote the whole circus not have of it.

[Messenger]

You are right Ash - we need young ideas. I am one of the oldies (young retiree ) at the trots but I am talking day meetings and you would expect most younger people to be at work. I am not interested in facebook, twitter, instagram etc but I know that is where we need to be.

[Lucky Camilla"s Lovechild]

I hear Bill Vlahos isn't doing much nowadays. Now that bloke could generate capital!

[HaroldParker]

and I cringe every time I see or hear that ridiculous "we will trot you" advertisement.

A carrot for those who wear flannos over their Rose Tattoo T-Shirts to lose their pay in the on course pokies.

When it was released I heard someone mention that it was to attract a younger audience. If that person or those who bought into it believe that, they don't have a clue.

[Lucky Camilla"s Lovechild]

and I cringe every time I see or hear that ridiculous "we will trot you" advertisement.

A carrot for those who wear flannos over their Rose Tattoo T-Shirts to lose their pay in the on course pokies.

When it was released I heard someone mention that it was to attract a younger audience. If that person or those who bought into it believe that, they don't have a clue.

+2

[cyclone george]

Hey bob you can ride gallopers in Vic ,have ten grand on the fav ( your on second fav) get ten months ,,but it was his first bet remember . That the integrity we should be fighting for.

[Njcstables]

I will say it again.....the answer is NOT changing how we race, it is about exposure to a wider audience, get more people involved, as Phil outlined in his earlier post, we are targeting our game to an ever shrinking market of participants, participants are the lifeblood of this game, everthing else follows, it has been the case from day one when trotting went from racing your carthorse to town and back to formalised racing on set circuits, the game has thrived or otherwise on participation levels...turnover, prizemoney,foal numbers,yearling prices, etc,etc will all grow when participation grows.....participant growth will not occur, until exposure levels improve.

cheers,
Dan

Danno, you are absolutely spot on.

[HaroldParker]

Someone commented on it within this thread but the location of the main track in NSW and Victoria is a big problem. In regards to on track attendance, Menangle and Melton aren't in the City and what is there to do afterwards ?

Trying not to be a snob here : ) but it's a far different crowd at Menangle that it was at Harold Park, same for Melton than at Moonee Valley.

Go to Gloucester Park on any Friday night and you'll see the difference.