Mainebiz

V O L . X X I V N O. I X A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 8 12 B etween Saturday harness races at Scarborough Downs, McGwire Sowers stops at the paddock to change horses and sulkies, his face aglow with excitement. e 18-year-old has been coming to the track since age eight and has become one of its winningest drivers in his debut as a professional. "We're giving the older guys a run for the money," he says. Out of 10 races he drove in that day, he fi nished in the money six times, including wins with Falcon's Luke in the fi rst and O'Wow in the second. He's hoping to stay in the sport a long time, saying, "I want this to be my job." Whether he'll be able to do that is questionable, given harness racing's shaky future. e industry has been in decline for years because of grow- ing competition from other forms of entertainment, and a struggle to attract younger fans. at's forcing industry players and regulators to fi nd new ways to get harness racing back on track. "Job No. 1 is to stop the bleeding," says Henry Jennings, executive director of the Maine Harness Racing Commission. Concretely, the agency is looking into introducing three new races in 2018 including a European Series involving at least 10 horses. It's also looking into the possibility of simulcasting Maine races in Europe, where harness racing is more popular. On the marketing front, it aims to better coordinate industry-wide marketing eff orts and focus on social media. It may also run TV ads during the upcoming Kentucky Derby. "We're trying to see where we can get the most bang for our buck," he says. Heyday and modern day Unlike thoroughbred and quarterhorse racing, where jockeys ride on saddled equines, harness racing entails racing a two-wheeled cart known as a sulky pulled by a Standardbred trotting or pacing for a mile. e sport has a storied tradition in Maine, which had at least 90 parks registered with the National Trotting Association between 1890-1930 according to Stephen ompson, the Hallowell- based founder of the Lost Trotting Parks Heritage Center online museum (lostrottingparks.com). He also recalls Maine's strong breeding heritage that has long since disappeared. rough photos, maps and historical documents, ompson aims to promote harness racing to a wider audience by generating excitement about horses. "You're not going to bring someone in if they're just looking for somewhere to gamble," he says. While that may be true, tracks make their money from a cut of the handle, or wagering, which has been going down steadily for years. In Maine, betting on harness racing slid from about $70 million in 1999 to $26 million in 2016, according to e Maine Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Southern Maine [see chart]. e newly published annual report from the Maine State Harness Racing Commission shows that trend contin- ued in 2017, with $24.5 million wagered. Of that amount, $21.6 million was bet P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R Horses round the turn in the fourth race on opening day at Scarborough Downs, March 31. Jus' Like a Virgin, piloted by rookie driver McGwire Sowers, is in the lead in this photo and went on to win in a time of 1:58 1/5 for the mile race. Total OTB simulcast Live handle Total $0 $10M $20M $30M $40M $50M $60M $70M $80M '16 '15 '14 '13 '12 '11 '10 '09 '08 '07 '06 '05 '04 '03 '02 '01 '00 '99 S O U R C E : Maine Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Maine, Aug. 2017 MAINE HARNESS RACING WAGERS (IN MILLIONS), 1999–2016 THEY'RE OFF AND Getting Maine harness racing back on track

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