Matching Silks to Number

[Denny]

What would you think of Harness Racing making it easier for fans and bettors to identify horses in a race?

One way to accomplish this would be to have drivers wear the color that matches the horses number.

It's something that is being done at a couple of minor thoroughbred tracks.

What purpose does it serve to have drivers where they're own silks. It may have made sense back in the day when horses were driven by their owner/trainer. But with 90% of horses being handled by catch-drivers these days, is it necessary. The driver doesn't own the horse, why should his silk matter?

All the track needs is a set or two of every color. Easy enough.

If you don't like that idea, here's another similar one to consider:

Match the wheel disk to the number color. Just place a plastic colored circle over the wheels.

I love Harness Racing, but, have awful lot of trouble telling one horse from another sometimes in a race. The cloth on the horse's back is hard to decipher at a distance on TV and in person.
Especially when the horses are strung out on the far side of the track. The number itself on the saddle cloth is a different color than the cloth, confusing things even more.

It's a sport that could use some innovation and forward thinking imo, and this might help.

[AstrosFan]

Originally Posted by Denny

What would you think of Harness Racing making it easier for fans and bettors to identify horses in a race?

One way to accomplish this would be to have drivers wear the color that matches the horses number.

It's something that is being done at a couple of minor thoroughbred tracks.

What purpose does it serve to have drivers where they're own silks. It may have made sense back in the day when horses were driven by their owner/trainer. But with 90% of horses being handled by catch-drivers these days, is it necessary. The driver doesn't own the horse, why should his silk matter?

All the track needs is a set or two of every color. Easy enough.

If you don't like that idea, here's another similar one to consider:

Match the wheel disk to the number color. Just place a plastic colored circle over the wheels.

I love Harness Racing, but, have awful lot of trouble telling one horse from another sometimes in a race. The cloth on the horse's back is hard to decipher at a distance on TV and in person.
Especially when the horses are strung out on the far side of the track. The number itself on the saddle cloth is a different color than the cloth, confusing things even more.

It's a sport that could use some innovation and forward thinking imo, and this might help.

100% disagree with the comments via the red font selected. Drivers sizes go from 130 lbs to 250lbs and various heights so you cannot just have two sets of every color. Totally impossible.

Any kind of plastic on a wheel going 30 MPH is disaster waiting to happen if it falls off AND each sulky is owned by the driver, so they are not going to want their expensive bike altered.

The el cheapo tracks like Rillito / Will Rogers / Fonner / Mountaineer all use house silks

The issue with bad viewing is when they turn for home, the head on shot you can't see the saddle pad or the driver either. That is something you can't fix.

The only possible thing I could even remotely think of is having each horse wear saddle pad colored matching blinkers without the eye cups. But then again, you run into the problem of each blinker is so different when used.

Harness needs to clean up it's act first and foremost:
Drug issues
Some questionable horsemen / drivers allowed in the game
Northfield playing games with their post times, etc.

[coachv30]

What about colored helmets?

[Sea Biscuit]

Drivers talking about their colors

YouTube

[Denny]

Originally Posted by coachv30

What about colored helmets?

I thought of that too, if not a full outfit. Why not a helmet cover that matches the saddle cover.

Something to make the horses more identifiable to fans.

I'm not buying all those excuses, Astro.

It's not just when they turn into the stretch that we can't tell them apart. It's on the far side too.

Do fans have every riders colors memorized? The driver colors is mostly useless to people watching that aren't "insiders".

The sport is not about promoting the DRIVERS. Attempting to make it about them has never worked. How about all the similar colors drivers wear? I can't tell who's who when Tim and Trace Tetrick are in the same race - and Cory Callahan is in there to boot.

So if you need four or five of every color to accommodate for the over-sized drivers, then have them available.

It's something that can be done. I'll drop the wheel disk idea, unless someone could figure how to do it safely.

Remember, we want new people to follow this great sport. Not just traditionalists. There's more room for everyone.

[sharkey11]

ive had the same trouble denny its the tracks fault some tracks the vidieo is crystal clear others its blurry at best the ones that its blurry at need a tv upgrade but theyre owners are just cheap pikers and wouldnt spend a dime on horse racing . some of the best to watch a race on are wdb moh yr M br . heck scarboro dosent even send out a signal lol its a real joke thats for sure.

[Denny]

Thanks for your input Sharkey.

I think part of the problem is we're dealing with a mostly nighttime sport and some places the lights aren't bright enough to see the colors well.

Making the saddle towels BRIGHTER might even help.

But, maybe you're right and most tracks are content to leave things as they are.

Time for Mhk. My mistake, looks like no Mohawk tonight. Pompano.

[AstrosFan]

Originally Posted by Denny

I thought of that too, if not a full outfit. Why not a helmet cover that matches the saddle cover.

Something to make the horses more identifiable to fans.

I'm not buying all those excuses, Astro.

It's not just when they turn into the stretch that we can't tell them apart. It's on the far side too.

Do fans have every riders colors memorized? The driver colors is mostly useless to people watching that aren't "insiders".

The sport is not about promoting the DRIVERS. Attempting to make it about them has never worked. How about all the similar colors drivers wear? I can't tell who's who when Tim and Trace Tetrick are in the same race - and Cory Callahan is in there to boot.

So if you need four or five of every color to accommodate for the over-sized drivers, then have them available.

It's something that can be done. I'll drop the wheel disk idea, unless someone could figure how to do it safely.

Remember, we want new people to follow this great sport. Not just traditionalists. There's more room for everyone.

It isn't about excuses Denny. The facts are that these drivers aren't going to give up their colors for the fans, but let's say for one minute I agree with the drivers saddle pad theory to replace the colors....

you have S to XXXL so that's SIX sets of only one, then add another per your suggestion, then what happens if in a field of 9 you have 4 drivers needing a Large, factor in a sloppy night when they are caked in mud & rain soaked and they need to hand it over to another driver? They aren't going to put on someone else's dirty outfit!

Too many negatives and do you know the cost of each outfit? The link is below:

http://www.harness-silk.com/price.asp?Liste_ID=2

[Denny]

Thanks Astro Fan, Having a set at the track would save the drivers a lot of money. You don't need as many as you seem to think imo.

The track pays for 4 sizes of each color. That's 40 shirts. Make a second set so you have enough for consecutive races. 80 shirts. The same shirts get used over and over.

All lightweight. Drivers wear what they want under it depending on the weather. Doesn't have to be fancy.

A plain solid-color shirt would cost far less than personalized colors.

I think your taking it too far with the size thing.

Drivers just put the shirt over their own. It doesn't have to be a perfect fit.

It's about the SPORT, the FANS and BETTORS. Not the DRIVERS.

I'd like to hear what others think.

Thanks again.

PS. What's your involvement in the sport? Just out of curiosity.

I'm a fan and a bettor.

[grant miller]

I play buffalo raceway & batavia downs-the racing program that my otb sells has the drivers colors printed next to thier name when you have a good viedio of the track its easy to see the drivers & horse colors to me -were luckey here cause our tvs are H.D