by Bob Carson

Editor’s Note: The USTA Web site 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.

“Without my morning coffee I’m just like a dried up piece of roast goat.” — Johann Sebastian Bach

“A cup of coffee shared with a friend, watching a horse, is happiness tasted and time well spent.” — Anonymous

Bob Carson

You fall in love with horse racing in the morning.

Cashing a winning ticket is exciting. Attending an extravagant horse race is great fun. However, these are one-night stands. Thrilling as they may be, one-night stands cannot replace a deep, long-term relationship.

A true love affair with horse racing is not likely to begin on the internet or high up in the grandstands or at the betting window. A lifelong affair is more likely to begin in the early morning as the sun rises over glistening horses running endless circles under the watchful eyes of dreamers. Whiffs of straw and manure mingling with the sounds of muffled hoofs against newly raked dirt are part of the recipe that leads to a lifelong passion for harness horse racing.

Unfortunately, mornings at the racetrack remain an experience that happens out of view of the general public. Let’s try to get some free exposure and maybe put a few extra dollars in the coffers of our local racetracks and training centers.

Autumn Ryan graphic

We should use these mornings at our racetracks and training centers. They are an advantage that horse racing has over virtually every other sport and entertainment venue. Each morning with our magnificent horses and fascinating people at work would offer potential fans the opportunity to ease into the wonderful and mysterious world of horse racing.

Entrepreneurs are always looking for a new niche or a way to repackage an old product. Like a coffee shop. Opening the door of a coffee shop at a racing facility would be easy and inexpensive. Depending on the location of the racing facility, these mornings could offer fiscal relief for struggling racetracks while harvesting new fans via leasing space. The trite and proverbial — win, win, situation.

For years, Starbucks, just one of several coffee chains, has opened stores faster than flies flock to manure. Since 2000, when Starbucks opened thier original coffee shop, they have blossomed to over 8,000 local outlets. Coffee shops are in hospitals, businesses, malls and towns large and small. The founder of Starbucks, Howard Shultz, envisioned the coffee shops as a third place (besides home and work) for people to spend time.

For many of us, morning is a special time. Mornings spent in local coffee houses sipping coffee, snapping open the newspaper or laptop, chatting with regular customers or looking for a quiet corner are the high point of the day for many. We find our favorite coffee spots for a variety of reasons. Not much distinguishes one location from another. Certainly, a horse track outside the window would separate a new coffee shop from the herd.

Location and repeat customers are the keys to a successful coffee shop. Franchises must be close to the homes of the non-working or on the routes of people heading to or from work, so this would not work everywhere, but undoubtedly, some of our racetracks and training centers fit this bill. In addition, racetracks usually are zoned for food and beverages, and they have surplus space and ample parking. A coffee shop and a racetrack could develop a true symbiotic relationship.

What’s to lose? These shops pop up as often as pimples on prom night. For the horse racing industry, bucolic mornings for non-fans learning about our game might encourage the coffee customers to take the next step into ownership or wagering. A fan sitting and watching a morning workout soon realizes that there is much more to horse racing than a grinding gambling option.

During nice weather the curious can amble down to the apron, and then, then, the magic of the horse just might seep into their souls. Hot coffee, horses, clopping hoofs and the early morning dew — this combination just might grow some fans.

Did you know…

• The United States is the world’s largest consumer of coffee, importing 16 to 20 million bags annually (2.5 million pounds), representing one-third of all coffee exported. More than half of the United States population consumes coffee.
• Coffee beans are in the same family as cherries.
• The typical coffee drinker has 3.4 cups of coffee per day. That translates into more than 450 million cups of coffee daily.
• In the year 1763, there were over 200 coffee shops in Venice.
• In the last three centuries, 90 percent of all people living in the Western world have switched from tea to coffee.