Harness Racing Victoria’s latest venture into speed contests is certainly exploratory by its nature, so will it broaden the minds of those it aims to attract and also those that put on the show?
The new and exciting FastTrack 1200 series was announced early this week, with five six-furlong events locked in across consecutive Wednesday nights at the sport’s Melton headquarters.
The first meeting launches on August 9, with more to follow on August 16 and 23.
Now 1200m racing isn’t new to the sport - The Stampede dates back to 2004 and the Mercury80 to 2020 - however the large-scale nature of these jump-and-run features might just be appealing to the racing enthusiast chasing something different from the trots.
FastTrack 1200 is geared largely towards the lowly-graded horse and seeks to entertain as well as provide opportunities for standardbreds outside the regular mile, middle-distance and staying trips that are routinely offered in this state.
Of course, the concept will be met by some detractors, but it truly seems logical that a genuine sprint journey is offered for our horses.
In the thoroughbred and greyhound worlds, the varying distances and those that dominate them are widely celebrated so it’s nothing of a stretch to suggest harness racing could unearth many specialist sprinters that make a sharp charge up the ratings under suitable circumstances.
Wagering is also in an interesting space post the COVID-19 lockdowns and attracting new people to the sport must be – and certainly is – at the forefront of minds.
With so much out there to consume and enjoy, racing codes need to change and adapt to the signs of the times.
Will this work? Hopefully. Can anyone be sure? No. But you’ll never, ever know unless you give it a go.
>> READ MORE: TAB FastTrack 1200 to get hearts racing this August at Melton
The opinions expressed in The Forum are those of the author and may not be attributed to or represent policies of Harness Racing Victoria, which is the state authority and owner of thetrots.com.au.