by Dean A. Hoffman

Dean Hoffman

Columbus, OH — Leave it to Indiana to try an experiment that has been dubbed a “novelty” because a race on Oct. 18 at Indiana Downs has been carded as being a “whipless” event.

I know that a Canadian track tried it a few years ago, but I don’t think that the Hoosier “experiment” is going to be the last time we’ll see whipless racing.

Whipping has become a heated topic in racing with most everyone feeling that something must be done to temper it, but no consensus on the solution.

Some point out that judges already have the ability to control whipping if they will simply enforce the rules. USTA rules specify what is considered “excessive or indiscriminate” whipping.

But we all know that enforcement is not uniform. At some tracks, the policy seems to be “anything goes” while other states, including Indiana, have made an effort to control and curtail whipping.

I’ve actually heard quotes from track executives saying that their fans want horses whipped more, not less. That might be true in some cases, but it only applies to the fans who are at the races. What about the millions of people who avoid harness tracks or who come once, may be turned off by the abusive whipping, and never come back?

Besides, is whipping likely to be an inducement for young people to embrace harness racing?

I suspect that all of us in harness racing have tried to shrug off concerns about whipping by reassuring outsiders, “They’re not hitting the horse. They’re hitting the saddle pad or the sulky shaft.” I’ve certainly resorted to that cop-out on occasion.

The fact is, however, that sometimes the drivers are indeed hitting the horses. Besides, the fans believe what they see. They see a driver holding a whip and flailing his arm at the horse hitched helplessly in front of him.

We don’t know what the result of the Indiana experiment will be. It’s just one race. We do know that if races are conducted without whips, there will still be a winner in every race.

I’ve been to Norway to watch racing many times and whips are strictly prohibited there. I must admit that you hardly notice it. Norwegian racing has excitement, drama, homestretch duels, photo finishes — everything that makes horse racing a great sport — except whips.

I spoke to Scott Peine, race secretary at Indiana Downs, about the experiment and he told me that the idea of a whipless race was suggested by some enlightened people. He and presiding judge Tim Schmitz took it from there and got the necessary approvals.

“We had a few concerns from drivers, but not as big an uproar as we thought,” said Peine. “Some drivers expressed concerns about safety, but our leading drivers went along with it.”

Peine noted that there will be a note on the program page for that race indicating it’s a whipless race and that the simulcast scroll on the TV screens will do likewise.

“We’re doing everything we can to get the information to the betting public,” says Peine.

Peine said that Indiana Downs isn’t afraid to “shake things up a bit” by doing something out of the ordinary. That’s certainly a refreshing attitude at racetracks and maybe that explains why Indiana Downs is having a good meet this fall.

Bravo to everyone in Indiana involved in the whipless racing experiment. I think they’re on the cutting edge of a trend.

Indiana Standardbred Sale up 13 percent

Despite all the economic meltdown that’s engulfed the world in recent weeks, last Saturday’s Indiana Standardbred Sale was up 13 percent over 2007 figures. And I think that’s just the tip of the iceberg on the Indiana yearling market.

If even the lowball purse projections for 2009 are accurate, Indiana-sired horses will be racing for astronomical amounts in 2009 and that is sure to ignite future yearling values.

Having attended this sale in the past two years, I noticed that there were a lot more buyers from neighboring states this year, the ivory hunters from Illinois and Ohio hoping to cash in on the coming boom in Indiana.

Also, the overall quality of the yearlings was noticeably better. There were fewer giveaway items as breeders learn that sub-standard yearlings simply aren’t worth bringing to the sale.

I look forward to seeing the growth of Indiana harness racing in the coming years. When you consider that Indiana didn’t even have pari-mutuel racing 15 years ago, the progress already made is amazing. But you ain’t seen nothing yet.