Are we the only ones who reckon that the Gloucester Park race programming is so bad that it atrocious?
At a time when harness racing is for various reasons rapidly losing marketing share because of it’s lack of relevance and appeal to the ordinary person, the sport has become increasingly reliant on wagering revenue for it’s artificial growth and future survival.
That’s obvious to you, me, blind Freddy, my great grandma Ada Ethel, and everyone in harness racing except the racing administrators in WA.
There were 9 races at Gloucester Park last night.
Odds on favorites started and won in 7 of them.
They were priced at $1.12, $1.05, $1.40, $1.50, $1.50, $1.38 and $1.50.
The Gloucester Park management would have you believe that this is a great thing, as it stimulates exotic bet type wagering, presumably with the horse deep in the tomato sauce stood one out.
Sadly for everyone in the sport, they are kidding themselves.
Wagering revenue across all three codes has exponentially increased over the past 20 years, but the trots have copped the worst of it.
You can see that from the chart and the top.
Forget all the waffle and chest beating and smoke and mirrors and stories and hot air.
Numbers don’t lie.
And those numbers show that the trots piece of the pie has been diminishing.
Race meetings programmed like this are the no 1 reason why.
It’s all about the money honey, and the $$$ come from the punt.
Odds on faves in 7 races on a 9 race card just don’t draw it in, it’s as simple as that.
The WA trot administrators are living in la la land.
Due to time differences they have the whole mad late night punt market at their mercy.
Yet they throw it away on shit like this.
Wake up to yourselves peeps.
It’s all about the punt.
It ain’t about anything else.
Nothing.
It’s a numbers game guys.
And the numbers are money.
The blood of racing life.