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.

“Without losers, where would the winners be?” – Casey Stengel

Bob Carson

This one is for breeding farms.

A disastrous purchase is bad for repeat business. Unfortunately, in your business, it happens. Here is a painful, personal, example.

Maggie may have gotten tired of my talk about the joys of harness racehorse ownership, or maybe she had delusions of making money, or perhaps it was just a spontaneous whim, whatever the reason; she decided to join in our annual yearling purchase.

We named our yearling filly She’stheUn. We walked Maggie through the harness horse dance; purchasing, training, staking and a long winter. The horse trained well until May and then…she wasn’t the Un. After laboring to her fourth consecutive 2:22 session, our trainer told us that, “She’s a nice filly, she tries, and she might go a little faster, but not fast enough.”

Maggie never bought another horse. Who could blame her. With the exception of the morning we went to breakfast at Denny’s and named the new horse Maggie never had a whisper of fun. Even our three trips to watch the horse train were made in either semi-blizzards or cold rain.

Anyone who has bought a yearling that did not make it to the racetrack learns quickly that the adventure is not much fun. A long year of bills with no excitement is wearisome. Not a penny of return is deflating. Those of us who have been around the block with a non-competitive yearling shrug and perhaps try again. New customers rarely return. One time customers are not good for the bottom line of a breeding farm.

Follow me, this is a crazy ride; an idea to enhance the odds that first time buyers will try (and buy) again. It is based on the principle that the gap between a smidgen of action and absolutely zero action is a chasm. This plan is designed to make our game more fun for customers who select slow horses.

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When breeding farms catalogue yearlings, they list a boatload of notations. Maybe they should add one more. For discussion purposes let’s call the new notation LOT 1212 (24) (pacing fillies). This unusual notation will be attached to 24 yearling pacing fillies. These particular fillies will be members of a sub-set designated LOT 1212 (24). The horses in this lot may all be sold at one sale or they may be staggered across a series of sales. The key point is that if you purchase a yearling from LOT 1212 (24), you are in a unique club of 24.

On the breeding farm website, a constantly-updated chart will show the progress of all the pacing fillies sold in LOT 1212 (24). This chart will be of casual interest to most owners and of great interest to eight owners who would otherwise be finished with their yearlings by June.

The reason is simple. Eight of the lesser-performing horses on the chart will receive a coveted invitation — a chance to race for a “purse” of $10,000. The invitations will be extended to eight horses in LOT 1212 (24) who have proven to be more horse than racehorse. After perhaps establishing a minimal qualifying time, say 2:29, the selection of the field of eight will be in reverse order of earnings.

For example; if your filly has shown the ability to pace a mile in 2:29 and has not earned a dime — you will be an entrant in the Reverse Invitational Race. Your competition will be the the other seven horses in LOT 1212 (24) that are on the low end of the seasonal chart.

The race could be held at the breeding farm or a nearby facility in August. Every entrant in the Reverse Invitational, owner and horse, will be treated with dignity. The speed may be slow but the race will not be a joke. There will be a luncheon and the purse will be distributed for all eight entries. Nobody will go home empty handed. There will be trophies, socialization and an opportunity to look over the next crop of yearlings going to sale.

Although not an official event, the Reverse Invitational Race will be conducted just like any other race. For one day, these eight customers will have a day to shine, a day to remember, and a classy, competitive race. If they are new to the sport, they will get a taste of what it can be like to eventually own a nice horse.

Hopefully, this “backup” scenario will encourage extra bidding at the sale, perhaps enough to cover the cost of the Reverse Invitational Race. This single race for “The Bottom of the Class” offers a relief to potential buyers from a complete bust. It would be fun for owners to follow the horses in LOT 1212 (24) as they start training down, attempting to qualify and then race.

If Maggie had a few more months of watching She’sTheUn in the summer sunshine, if she had a chance to follow the progress of other horses that impacted her chances, if Maggie had a chance to see a little more of her filly, if she had just one wonderful weekend where her horse raced in a real race for real money — no matter what the speed — Maggie might still be in harness.

After all, it’s a long way from nothing to something.