Last modified: Sunday, March 18, 2007 11:15 PM EDT Horseman Michael Cushing gives a workout to 'Gloria' during qualifying races last week at Plainridge Racecourse. (Staff photo by Martin Gavin) They're off - early BY LAUREN CARTER FOR THE SUN CHRONICLE PLAINVILLE - Many horsemen say the thrill of competition is what draws them to the sport of harness racing, but it's a lack of competition that has Plainridge Racecourse getting a jumpstart on live racing this year. General Manager Steve O'Toole said Plainridge will begin live racing two weeks early, while most other tracks are still closed, to give horsemen an early break from their down season and get some races in before those tracks with larger purses, or payouts, can start luring horsemen away. By mid-summer, Plainridge will be competing with 10 area tracks in Maine, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, most of which have slot machines. "That puts us in a bad position as far as getting our horsemen to come, because there are so many opportunities for them," O'Toole said Thursday as the track readied for today's start to live racing. "The purses are unbelievable." Preparing to compete with tracks that can offer horsemen higher payouts is as much a reality as checking satellite signals and timers, readying the track surface and running qualifying races. So, the early start to live racing is just one of several changes made to compensate for the skyrocketing purses available at other tracks. The number of races at Plainridge this season will drop from 1,100 to 900. , resulting in larger purses for each race, and every horse and driver that races is guaranteed to make some earnings regardless of how they place. In past seasons, only those who finished in the top five earned a payout. The end result is, ideally, more incentive for horsemen to come to Plainridge. So far, the changes seem to be having a positive effect. The track had a full stable of horses during qualifying races for the first time in Plainridge's eight-year history. "Two weeks early doesn't sound like a lot, but it is," said Paddock Judge Frank DuBreuil. "It's just a windfall to some of these guys who have the long winters. It's tremendous." Horse driver and trainer Michael Cushing of Farmington, Maine, agreed the early start is helpful. "It's a competitive sport, and when you go a couple of months without it, you're eager to do it," Cushing said. But Michael Perpall, president of the horsemen's association that helped to negotiate many of the changes made this season, said there are only so many tweaks that can be made before a major shift is needed. "The biggest concerns are always better purses," Perpall said. "I think in the long-term we need some type of alternate gambling." Currently, Plainridge has live racing from March until the end of November, as well as year-round simulcasting, which allows patrons to bet on live races broadcast from around the country. But O'Toole said revenue from simulcasting pale in comparison to what's possible from slot machines, which have been vilified by some lawmakers as a social ill the state doesn't need. Still, O'Toole said hopefully by the time the track's two-year simulcasting deal runs out, slot machines will be in place. "I see it as a realistic possibility," O'Toole said. "Now, we're pretty much surrounded by it." As a seasoned traveler up and down the East Coast, Cushing said slots are a must. "Purses on the whole Eastern Seaboard have gone up," he said. "I think it helps everybody. Massachusetts needs slots. I just hope they get their turn."