When I plug in "horse racing" in my IPhone’s app store, 333 apps pop up, with the lion’s share being games and handicapping.

Narrow that down to harness racing and only five apps –The Hot Tip, OTB, RSN Racing and Sport Radio, The Canadian Sportsman and Aus Trot--are listed.

On Black Friday 2012, Amazon reported its highest-ever total sales of the Kindle family. On the following "Cyber Monday," an electronic tablet was sold every second, so I think it’s safe to say Santa put a lot of electronics under a lot of trees.

With the trend toward more mobile electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, Nooks, Kindle Fires and eReaders, shouldn’t harness racing have some apps out there? They say the use of tablets and their sales will increase 60 percent during 2013, so Mr. Claus, or should I say his elves, will be packing his sleigh with the same load next year.

So how do you make an app? Is it cost efficient? Is it time consuming? From what I’ve seen, it depends on the app and what you would like it to do.

Thoroughbred racing has scratched the surface with Equibase apps, racetrack apps, the Breeders Cup apps, and Kenny and Sue McPeek’s Horse Races NOW app, which is probably the most comprehensive to date, but presently is available only in a preview mode and only for Apple products.

Barrel Racing has 13 apps and games, while Quarter Horse and Arabian racing have none.

What would the best harness racing app consist of? Live video, push notifications of post times, replays, pedigree information? It would be amazing to have all that and more at the push of a button, but with the way the world is headed, it might become a necessity.

After watching a show called "Planet of the Apps," McPeek decided to take the bull by the horns. He admitted it wasn’t easy or cheap, but apps are here to stay and he feels they are the best way to attract a younger fan base.

Does anyone else agree?