Where Will You Race?
Just as there are major leagues and minor leagues in baseball, there are varying levels of competition in harness racing.
Tracks located in major metropolitan areas have greater followings among fans, draw more betting interest and pay larger purses. They also feature the top levels of equine, driving and training talent, which means your horse and your training and driving team will have to be at the top level to compete for your share of those large purses.
Where you choose to race will affect some of your decisions as an owner:
Racing at your local track:
You’ll
likely want to race where you can
watch your horse race in person,
and take family, friends and business
associates to the track to watch. It’s
probably the first place where you saw
a harness race—and first dreamed about
owning a racehorse. There may be bigger purses
at tracks in distant cities, but there may be bigger
labor, feed and housing costs associated with
racing at them.
Racing at tracks in your region:
Often, your
local track will have a “dark” season, during
which there is no live racing, so you’ll have to
consider shipping your horse to another track.
There will be some additional transportation
expenses, but there will be more chances, of
course, to win purses. Races for horses sired
or foaled in your state are sometimes raced on
“circuits,” with some legs of a season-long series at
different tracks—but within easy driving distance
so that you can still see your horse race in person.
Racing at the fairs:
Each year, a great number of
horses never set foot on a commercial racetrack,
but instead race only at the state or county fairs.
The purses are often more conservative, but many
owners, breeders, drivers, and trainers enjoy the
relaxed environment of racing at the fairs. In
addition, some fairs offer purses that rival those
paid at smaller pari-mutuel tracks.
The “Grand Circuit” is the name for a series of the sport’s most lucrative and competitive races. The races follow a circuit, with each track hosting a group of major races in the same week (one day for the 2-year-olds, the next day the 3-year–olds, etc., or one day will be the fillies and the next day the colts, etc.). Grand Circuit races are mostly for 2- and 3-year-olds, although there are an increasing number of large purse races for older horses. The Grand Circuit is also expensive to compete on.
Your expenses will include:
- Nomination and entry fees (which can be thousands of dollars, each start)
- Shipping expenses (from $50 to $1,000, one-way)
- Paying a private groom
You will need also to pay the travel expenses of your trainer—and a driver if you want someone other than a local driver to handle your horse.