A Quizzically Odd Hambletonian Day

An interesting Hambo Day is in the books. The more I think about it, the more I scratch my head. It was a pretty wild day.

The 16 race smorgasbord wasn't quite as well-received by bettors with preliminary handle down about 8% or so, after factoring in last year's Super High Five carryover. This was a little bit strange, because it looked like a fairly good card, to my eyes.

The track was a bit quizzical, too, and maybe this played into the handle.

I don't think there was a strong bias, but I think it played odd - almost "fair", which we don't see in harness racing much as a speed game. If you went 54 and came home in 56, closers did well, like you'd think they're supposed to, while if you went 56 and came home in 55, the front end was fine, like it's supposed to be. The only wire to wire effort that bucked the trend was probably Darlinonthebeach, who was stung in 53.2 and came home in 56 to hold on. It was 1985 again.

Adding to the quizzical nature of the track, some horses performed oddly, making the whole day (and the track), increasingly hard to decipher.

Leaders like Polak A in the first stunk off stiff fractions, and was chalk (the two hole horse was second at 17-1), Snowstorm Hanover was awful (the two hole horse won) and Wings of Royalty was horrid, off a 56 half (the three hole horse won).  Those were horses who raced bad, having nothing to do with the track. I'm really glad I bet those last two hard, by the way.

Southwind Frank was two fingers and sound last week, yet this week, in his elim, he was rammy and went way too fast, caught late by the eventual winner. Then he was steppy in the final; an odd two races for him. Two races we have not seen from him this season. By the way, Yannick is quite the driver. I am not sure how he kept that horse trotting his last quarter, to almost win the whole thing.

Bar Hopping looked incredible in his heat, taking things gate to wire. He gets the same trip as the heavy chalk in the final, and stops. I bet Tim and Jimmy are scratching their heads just like we are.

In an interview driver Scott Zeron was asked what he was thinking at the head of the lane with Marion Marauder and he said "I was confident, and I thought 'I hope he isn't sick'".I think that was prophetic for a lot of horses yesterday.

Always B Miki didn't train last week according to his trainer, and I think it showed just how hard it is to go 1:47 off time off. He was stung, challenged hard by a quality animal, and came a decent fourth. It spawned a set of nice show prices, (like in race two, in a continuation of the odd day). The other horse off a stale date - Freaky Feet Pete - didn't really seem like himself either.

Several horses seemed to break, for no apparent reason. Windowshopper, sitting in a gapped fifth, ran as the now horse in the Oaks. Honor and Serve, and several others all broke. A bunch of horses did not look comfortable at all on that track.

A horse we've been trying to hit for awhile - Katie Said - broke in the Lady Liberty, got off last and somehow came third. The Ron Adams horse won again, from the 12, a post some think is poison.

The set of results, I think, were the oddest I've seen in some time. Whether it was the surface, sickness, allergies, or some horses just not right after racing tough miles all summer, I don't know, but it was pretty darn strange. I don't even know who to bet back.

As for the big winner - Marion Marauder - it was well-deserved. Those connections have let that horse tell them what he wanted to do, not made to do what they wanted him to do, and they were rewarded for it. I don't think you'd see a more polished, sounder looking trotter on the racetrack. That was a great training and driving job.

No matter the result, no matter the track, or racing luck, or horses stopped by allergies, or sickness, or whatever it may be, Hambo Day is still a remarkable day for harness fans. I'm glad it happens each year, and I hope it lasts forever.

Have a great rest of the weekend everyone.

Happy Hambletonian Day - Notes, Links

It's here, welcome to Hambo Day.

It's 16 races; trots, paces, mixed distances, short fields, big fields. And some are very interesting.

As most know, heavy doses of chalk can and do happen on days like this often in harness. And make no mistake, there are some very good looking favorites. But this card feels a little different to me. I think some of these chalk - even of the heavy variety - have a chance to go down. I always like watching Hambo Day - from start to finish. But this one really intrigues me from a betting perspective.

Anyhoo, some links:

Thoughts on why Hambo Day is a great day, a column. 

Free program link.

Free video link in HD.

Selections from VFTG.

Selections and thoughts at Betfair; including trading horses like Southwind Frank.

Selections from those "expert" folks. I suck at being an expert, but there you go.

Hashtag is #Hambo16 for you people who twitter, like Donald Trump; or someone who works for him, if they recently took his password away. 

Have a great day everyone.

Clowns to the Left of Me, Jokers to the Right

New York passed a daily fantasy sports bill this week, but it was a little more than that. It also, at the behest of one legislator (at likely the behest of you know who - old time racing), eliminated horse racing contest players. 

•  "I could see a horseplayer going to a fantasy site and playing there because they're real horses, real jockeys, real tracks, and doing whatever handicapping they're going to do there. It would take away from the pari-mutuel handle."

The studies cited by this pol, showing that this happens and was the correct move, are absent. Because they don't exist.

But, using a little common sense, or actually  talking to customers, you can learn something.

Contest play is a staple for some, just like exchange play is for others. More conduits you have - more ways to play the sport - the more people you have looking at your product. And when people are looking at your product, it's a gateway to lifetime revenue.

This past weekend there was a "contest" at Del Mar. It attracted 140 or so players, all there for one reason - to win the contest, and to get invited to another contest, the Breeders Cup Betting Challenge. One of my friends flew in from Seattle for it. Another from half way across the country.

The bankroll for this event - to be bet into the pools - was $5,000. So, at Del Mar, $700,000 of bankroll on a Saturday and Sunday were churned right into the pools, because of a contest. If each player rolled the bankroll over three times, over $2 million was bet, at 21% boat. Del Mar got back about $400,000 of revenue.

If this "contest" wasn't around, some of these players might've taken the day off. They might be long gone from betting horse racing, because they found something better to do with their time. Instead, they were engaged, handicapping, betting, and promoting the sport to others.

Contests - big or small, online or real money - are an important ecosystem for horse racing. At a very small cost. 

I don't have a clue why this sport thinks that eliminating people from engaging and playing your product is a good policy. Seriously, what business that is dependent on high volume and velocity  - or any business really - has grown with fewer customers? But time and time again, whether it be with takeout hikes, blocking signals, or trying to shut down games or sites which promote the sport and keep people engaged, they continually lean on this policy.

With handle down 40% or 50% in real terms, you'd think they'd try something new, wouldn't you?

Enjoy your Friday everyone.