by Bob Carson

Editor’s Note: The USTA website is pleased to present freelance writer Bob Carson and his popular “Outside the Box” features. This monthly series is a menu of outlandish proposals presented with a wink — but the purpose behind them is serious. The views contained in this column are that of the author alone, and do not necessarily represent the opinions or views of the United States Trotting Association.

“If at first the idea is not absurd, then there will be no hope for it…” Albert Einstein

Bob Carson

Coercing a dozen civilians to watch a series of harness races on their phones or tablets was fascinating. Many were young and had never seen a race. Sad to say, it did not go as well as hoped. Harness racing did not become the rage and begin trending on Buzzfeed. Our digital chats after the races found a fair share of cyber whining and grumbling.

“I spent most of the race looking for my horse!”

“Do they always fall into single file line like a train?”

“What’s the deal with the wide starting positions, why don’t they just tie an anchor around those horses?”

“My horse was only on the screen for a few moments.”

“Without money on the line, nobody would watch these races.”

“So far, to me, the whole race is a bit of a jumble.”

Perhaps it was this small sample, but several of the new visitors fixated on the unfairness of the post position. My efforts to explain that this is, “Part of the game, luck of the draw and requires driving strategy,” did not appease them.

Autumn Ryan graphic

Let’s focus on the second part of the experiment that drew a significant amount of complaining; the difficulty they had following their horse during a race. These folks have grown up in high definition, with multiple zoom lenses, instant replays, split screens and Google Earth. Their frame of reference comes from sporting events with visuals so intimate you can see if a player has a new diamond in his earring.

It’s hard to argue. Even those of us who have watched a million races know that watching a race, even our best races, presented on the best computer feeds, can be a challenge. It is easy to lose track of your horse, especially at the start when they are bunched in a large field, or if the weather is dicey.

Here is one of those weird coincidences — leaning back, feet on my desk, thinking about the problems of following horses during a race, my inbox dings. At first it looks like spam, perhaps another Nigerian Prince looking to unlock frozen bank funds or looking for yet another lost relative, but instead of a heading like, “Dearest American I Am in Search of Assistance,” this one read simply, “You won.”

Warily, I opened it. Good thing; it was a legit contest and some lucky folks won legit prizes. My prize was a set of harness racing wheels. Curious, I investigated the website of the company that sponsored the contest. They have a link to a race where Tim Tetrick uses a set of the wheels they manufacture as he wins a big race — so I click on. BAM….a simple answer soon appeared that would help new visitors follow their horse in a race. It is an idea that could help all of us watching any race on any platform.

Following the horse that Tim is driving in a race is a little easier than most because long time fans are familiar with his distinct yellow and green colors; in fact, regular players are familiar with the colors of most of the top drivers. New people are not, something we often forget.

All a rookie has to go on in a race is the number (which can get very small in a long camera shot) and the saddle pad colors about the size of a large handkerchief.

While watching the video from the wheel company, a cool thing happened; Tim’s big, bright, solid, yellow wheels (that coincidentally matched his racing colors) made it much easier to follow his progress in the race. Even if you looked away, it was much simpler to find him again.

So what about matching all of the wheels to the post position colors?

Sure, it would be a hassle and prohibitively expensive to switch rims each time for trainers, but if we can land a rover on Mars and solve the human genome code, it would not seem to be a technological leap to design colored inserts on the wheels of harness racing sulkies. Hassle or not, this innovation would be for our customers, not for our convenience.

To get even more flack, let me suggest that drivers use a vest or a jersey that matches the post position color to make following your horse even more trouble-free.

For new folks and our existing fans, why not make identification easier? Should the driver, the solid wheels and the saddle pad all be the same color, suddenly this horse is easier to find and follow. The cost would be miniscule, the implementation fairly simple and the positive effects could be substantial.

Color coded jerseys and wheels are low tech remedies that could help our presentation issues. The better solutions are far more technical, and if we hope to have more relevance in the future than a canasta game, presentation improvements should already be in beta testing.

If you have ever been in a race bike during a race, you know that it is a very exciting, dynamic activity. Racing presentations, even Triple Crown Thoroughbred events, do not come close to allowing the viewer an immersive experience into the excitement of a horse race. Ninety-nine percent of the viewers will only see a wide-field pan on a field of horses, more and more they will be viewing on their tablets or phones, they will have no idea what a race really feels like. And they should.

There are many concepts that spring to mind; cameras on the drivers, extreme zooms that make the view feel like viewers are right next to the horses and drivers, the ability to toggle shots from the infield, and isolation on the horse you have wagered on. These are just scratching the surface. They will cost money, but not as much as obsolescence due to the inability to compete with other gambling and sporting entities.

Our racing presentations are not just difficult to follow, they are formulaic and boring to new viewers. Sure, having a wager on a race, and being a long-time fan of the sports obscures the importance of the paltry picture we present — but unless our presentation makes quantum leaps forward it will be difficult to lure new players. Ten years from now, the digital staging of our sports and games will be radically different. We need to make some changes if we want to be in the picture.

Let’s get rolling; we could start with solid, colorful wheels that match the post positions. With this simple change, we could say, “Just watch the yellow one,” and new viewers would have a better view of our sport.