The panel at the Global Symposium on Racing offered 45 ideas in 45 minutes to improve horse racing and marketing. Some ideas included doing more to market to Latinos, consistently reporting payouts, centralized stewards to make calls and eliminate disputes, new jockey camera angles, pushing for horse racing in the Olympics, and developing family friendly areas at tracks to appeal to younger audiences. Panelists hoped the creative ideas would help open racing to new fans and improve the sport and viewing experience.

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Global Symposium on Racing and Gaming 45 ideas in
45 minutes.
Photo: Courtesy of RTIP
Symposium: Panel Gives 45 Ideas in 45 Minutes
by Frank Angst
Date Posted: 12/8/2015 12:38:01 PM
Last Updated: 12/9/2015 9:47:46 AM
The University of Arizona Racetrack Industry Program's
Global Symposium on Racing started in a big way when
it asked five panelists to offer 45 ideas in 45 minutes on
improving racing and the marketing of the sport.
The panel was well­received in the room at the Loews
Ventana Canyon Resort near Tucson, Ariz, and on
social media.
Ideas offered by panelists Steve Byk, host of radio's At
the Races; Darryl Kaplan, editor of Trot Magazine;
Steve Koch, executive director of the National
Thoroughbred Racing Association Safety and Integrity
Alliance; Peter Rotondo, vice president of media and
entertainment at Breeders' Cup; and Amy Zimmerman,
director of broadcasting for The Stronach Group,
included creative ideas on improving the wagering
product and marketing the sport.
Noting that New York Racing Association offers race
calls in Spanish—a rare exception of reaching out—Byk called on tracks to do more marketing to Latinos. He
noted that many of the sport's participants are of Hispanic background but horse racing doesn't do enough to
develop them as fans.
Byk also called on racing to consistently report payouts. He said every track should report payouts in a
standard way, whether it be based on $2 payoff, $1 payoff, or 50­cent payoff. He noted that it's silly for
tracks to frustrate winning players when they find out what they thought was a payoff for the $1 winning ticket
they hold is, in fact, half that amount. He also called on making fixed­odds wagering a reality.
Kaplan suggested doing things like racing horses on beaches or even iced­over canals as a way of taking the
sport to people. He called on racing to encourage school field trips to horse farms and other efforts to reach
out to young people.
Koch offered one of the more well­received suggestions when he said a centralized stewards' stand should
be in place to make racing calls. He noted similar efforts that have been advanced in other sports like pro
and college football.
Byk complimented Koch's idea on moving to centralized stewards' decisions. He said the technology is
available to have centralized stewards making interference calls, ending fighting in local stewards' stands
that Byk said is common.
"I think that idea may have more merit than anything we've heard today," Byk said. "It could eliminate an
ongoing open sore we have in the game."
Koch also called on the sport to make a push to offer at least one race at the Olympics. Wearing his NTRA
Safety and Integrity Alliance hat, he said the time has come to get every track on board and that effort could
include punishing non­participating tracks by not awarding them graded stakes or not allowing them to
participate in the National Handicapping Challenge.
Rotondo noted that new jockey cams would allow television broadcasts to cut to that angle during the race
and also could allow bettors, fans, or connections of a horse choose to watch that feed during the race. He

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added that racing, with its fast results, is a perfect sport for the social media age and horse racing needs to
take advantage.
Rotondo said a lot is about lifting the curtain. "We have a great sport, let's show it off."
Zimmerman said the industry has to come together and again offer a national marketing campaign. She said
tracks should have family friendly areas. She said such areas would help change an unfair reputation. Along
the lines of opening the curtain, she said media like television should have access to stewards' decisions
when they're reviewing a possible foul.
All of the ideas were listed on Twitter @BH_FAngst.
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