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The main problem harness racing has is the speed and post bias, which is pronounced on half and five-eighth tracks, but also hurts the racing at most tracks. Changing the conditions has been tried and didn't help much. The bottom line is the bikes, not only are they fast and speed favoring, but the drivers sit much farther back in the bike than they did years ago, and, they lean back. So the horses in the rear have an extra few lengths to make up. With the races being so fast, there is no way a horse can rally from ten or eleven lengths back to win, horses can't pace :52 last halves.
The main reason why there are so many 2/5 shots is that the bettor's don't bet the bad posts. For instance, say we're looking at an 8 horse field on a half mile track and the best two horses in the race are the 7 and 8. The next best horse is the one. Years ago, when they used the wood bikes, the 8 would be 5-2, the 7 would be 2-1, the one would be 5-1. Now, the same exact field, the 8 would be 10-1, the 7 would be 6-1, and the 1 horse would be 1-1.
By having such an extreme post and speed bias, the bettors all bet the same horse, which is usually the sharpest inside-post horse.
There are only three potential ways to solve this problem: 1). Go back to the old wooden bikes. 2). Do as they do in Australia and prohibit the drivers from leaning far back in the bikes. Or, 3), stop racing at one mile distance and race a mile and a quarter to a mile and a half.
Longer races change everything because at a mile the leavers have too much of an advantage and they can rip off a fast third panel and bottom the field. At a mile and a quarter, they can't do that, they have to try to slow the pace, and that allows the outside flow to get into position for a stretch run.
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