Harness racing looks set to get a major boost from a bold online initiative, the brainchild of racing journalist and harness owner/breeder Barry Lichter.
Lichter’s new sport and racing website tigermulti.co.nz, which went live on Monday, is a New Zealand first, offering multi bet tipping advice along with videos and dozens of stories you won’t read anywhere else.
It’s a labour of love for Lichter who, as a racing journo for Fairfax Media, battled diminishing space and resources for many years before he left last year, after 33 years as racing editor, dispirited at mainstream media’s attitudes to racing.
“What little coverage remains is once-over-lightly stuff, sandwiched in between fields and results,” he says.
With tigermulti.co.nz, all that has changed. It features stories on the key harness players and the less well known along with advice for punters who want to “put bite in their betting”.
Lichter hopes tigermulti.co.nz is the fillip the industry needs. He hopes to attract new punters, and increase turnover with expert advice on multi combos across a number of codes.
The site has two access levels – for casual visitors, and paid subs for those who want to access the “pro punts” and advice.
He has skin in the game: for those who sign up for a six-month subscription, he’s offering a share in his exciting young trotter Jasper Seven as an incentive for one lucky registrant.
Jasper Seven raced for the first time in May, scoring a stunning victory at Alexandra Park.
Lichter, the country’s most decorated racing journalist with 23 national and international awards, says reduced overall racing coverage has resulted in a concentration of thoroughbred news as media proprietors, using a skeleton staff with little or no experience in trotting, use supplied copy.
“In an environment of dwindling horse numbers and low turnovers, tigermulti.co.nz can help stimulate harness racing awareness with a constantly updated page of news devoted to the code.”
The site taps into some of the best punting and racing brains in the country and features their advice.
It is possibly the only site in the country that plans to feature weekly tips from a Maine Coon cat.
Check it out.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
