I've been thinking about how to improve the interest in racing. WEG does $1M handle each night but in KD, $10,000 is (sadly) more the norm. How can racing generate interest enough that the smaller track can do better ? I'll be blogging my thoughts on this matter but one notion that crossed my mind was our OSS program. Its not the most important thing for racing but I'll start there.

Our Ontario Sires Stakes program was created in 1974 with the objective to promote breeding of standardbred horses in Ontario and to provide economic incentives to breeders to improve the quality of the Ontario sired horse. The program is funded by the Ontario horse racing industry through a provincial levy imposed on wagering at the rate of 2% on all wagering and an additional 2% on triactor wagering. Clearly, Ontario's "C" tracks (1% of WEGs handle) are not generating much for the program.

Like racing, the OSS program gets tweaked from time to time in the name of improvement but when I stand back and take a look at the big picture, I'm completely convinced that we're failing to squeeze full entertainment value from our racing. Here's what I'd like to see considered.

2 year old's are NOT race horses – they're BABIES. I'd like to see OSS fund baby races only for two year olds. Set the purses such that an undefeated baby racer starts maybe 10 times and earns $100,000. That would mean $20,000 purses, raced conveniently around all the B/C tracks to introduce these “future stake racers” to the general public. Enough money to encourage owners/trainers to show their babies off at the track but not hurt them. That's all there would be for 2 year old racers and the industries job would be to help us all imagine how good this babies MIGHT become and hype the expectation for the years to come.

3 year olds are NOT yet race horses – they're ROOKIES. The OSS will schedule races for rookies and classify them according to money earned. These are development races and are NOT just for 3yos but are open to ANY Ontario sired horse that fits the money condition – (4yo, 5yo, 6yo, ...). At set times during the season, the program would schedule a REAL Ontario Sires Stakes race with a huge purse to be contested by ALL Ontario sired horses on the planet regardless of age. Racing fans can be asked the question “who really is the best Ontario sired race horse” and these races will help provide an answer year after year. You can't BE the best until you BEAT the best !

What better way to promote an improved breed of Ontario sired horses. It rewards performance AND longevity and what better way to promote our babies and rookies than by having them race against the best we've ever bred year after year. That's what I think the OSS should be and if it were then I'd go watch it !