The Canadian Sportsman

We are not naive. We know harness racing has problems. But we are not devoid of decent ideas, either.

We believe the secret to improving our game will come not with huge events and expenditures, but by taking baby steps, so long as we keeping stepping and remain patient.

This is not a feel-good exercise to distract us from some very real, very scary challenges. The hope is to pay these small, but important, ideas forward and have as many of them adopted universally, as possible.

This is just the beginning of what we hope will be a long-running feature with 25 Small Victories to celebrate and, hopefully, spread. But we need your help, too. To nominate something for a Small Victory, please click the red Comment button at the end of this list.

And now, 25 Small Victories for harness racing (in no particular order):

• The Ontario SBOA New Owners program.
Since 2005, the Standardbred Breeders of Ontario Association (SBOA) has introduced 72 first-time standardbred owners to the sport through its New Owners program and purchased eight yearlings. For more information click follow this link: SBOA.

• Legends Day
Every two years, tiny Clinton Raceway plays host to some of the greatest drivers that ever lived and allows fans the rare chance for personal interaction.

• Youth Camps
The ultimate example of growing the game one child at a time, traveling youth camps created by the Harness Horse Youth Foundation and adopted by the Ontario Harness Horse Association give kids hands-on experience with standardbred racehorses.

• Youth Beats
Sticking with our future fans and participants for a moment, how about some applause to the USTA and Hoof Beats for being the first to produce a harness racing magazine just for kids. Check it out here.

• CRIBS
Kelly Spencer’s homage to the MTV show brings us wacky video adventures with harness racing personalities. The result is low-budget magic. Check out this latest one starring Randy Waples.

• Standardbred Adoption Agencies
Groups such as New Jersey’s Standardbred Retirement Foundation, the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Agency and New Vocations are essential to finding good homes for retired racehorses.

• National Handicapping Challenge
Standardbred Canada deserves kudos for this contest which featured a $25,000 prize and was incentive enough for a bunch of punters to truck it up to Ottawa to match handicapping wits.

• Limousine Starting Gate
Speaking of Rideau Carleton, the track takes the concept of giving patrons a ride in the starting gate to a new level, using a modified limousine to start races.

• New Whipping Rules
Sharply decreasing abusive whipping won’t cause a sea-change in terms of the sport’s popularity, but forbidding drivers from taking the reins in one hand and whipping with the other certainly is better for the horses, heads off an inevitable animal rights protest and makes racing more palatable for the squeamish.

• OSS Super Finals
Eight $300,000 year-end races, all on one card in Toronto, for Ontario-bred horses? OSS founding fathers such as Lloyd Chisholm never dreamed of such riches when they came up with the program more than 35 years ago.

• Breeders Crown all on one card
While we’re throwing out kudos for all-on-one-card mega-events, how about a standing ovation to the Breeders Crown for putting all 12 of its divisions on a single night in 2010 at Pocono Downs.

• Breeders Crown program insert
While we’re throwing around credit to others, how about a little self love? The Canadian Sportsman’s full-colour insert of handicapping, stories and photos in the Woodbine program for Breeders Crown night was not only informative, it helped elevate an already-great event.

• The Score national television coverage
Seriously, does anyone do a better harness racing television show than the team at Woodbine and The Score? In Canada, we’re blessed more than many realize to have this national TV presence for our sport.

• The Turf Lounge
Sticking with WEG for a second, the company deserves kudos for trying to expose Toronto’s Bay St. crowd to racing in an upscale restaurant with tremendous food and atmosphere.

• The Fab Five
Hoosier Park’s marketing initiative to try and turn five of its drivers into NASCAR-style stars is a worthy attempt at fan-building.

• Crazy Good
Charlie Leerhsen’s fabulous book on the great Dan Patch brought our sport to the mainstream — and was better than the Sea Biscuit book, too.

• Common Pool Wagering
Finding a way to grow pool sizes is a good thing at any time, but particularly when there’s an international border between racing jurisdictions.

• HPI Rewards
For a host of reasons, it’s virtually impossible for tracks to decrease takeout significantly, but WEG’s HorsePlayer Rewards program at least gives its loyal bettors something back as thanks for their business.

• Free Admission and Parking
It’s hard to believe tracks once charged for parking and admission — some still do — but the removal of the turnstiles at most plants was necessary to put us on par with casinos.

• Free Programs at Pompano
Pompano Park has taken the next step by providing its customers with free betting programs.

• Jug and Jugette Barns
Building accessible barns — like those at the Delaware County Fairgrounds — that allow fans to get close to the horses is crucial for growing the game.

• Experimental Rankings
Much debated every year, Stan Bergstein’s annual educated guess in Hoof Beats about what will be this year’s fastest three-year-olds is critical for building buzz.

• Equi-Challenge
The inaugural Equi-Challenge not only took human stars from different horse disciplines out of their element, it was a hit with fans and a fund-raiser for the University of Guelph's Ontario Veterinary College.

• Proper Winner’s Circle Attire
Led by the Hambletonian Society, the trend of giving caretakers nice shirts to wear on our biggest stakes days is a crucial one for our image.

• Industry Websites
Face it, there’s more information about harness racing available today than ever, thanks to the Internet and a number of quality sites.