Ramon Rionda Dedicated to Latin Racing

By David Vance

Ramon Rionda has devoted a lifetime to horse racing in Latin America, and along the way he has witnessed an ever-changing landscape that has required continuous adjustments in terms of business priorities. Like racetracks in the United States and around the world, terms like branding and packaging and product distribution—unfamiliar to racing slightly more than a decade ago—have become the primary focus for South American tracks.

Rionda grew up in the sport because of his father's love for racing and breeding. Today, he is easily one of the world's busiest race track executives in his role as vice president of racing for Codere, a major multinational gaming company based in Madrid, Spain.

It all started for Rionda as a 5-year-old when he would join his family for a day of racing at Hipodromo de las America in Mexico City, and other tracks throughout Latin America. His father, Ramon Rionda Sr., was a successful breeder and owner who competed at the highest level. Dedication to the sport has allowed the son to be actively involved in the evolution of a completely new business model from his days as a fan.

"I still love the horse racing—the pageantry, the competition, the challenges—but the business model has taken on a completely new footprint," he said. "Today, it's about developing a successful brand and then packaging and distributing it properly. Competition for the gaming and entertainment fan base requires a much more creative approach as a practical business consideration."

Codere owns over 57,000 gaming machines worldwide and is an active owner and manager of race tracks in Mexico, Uruguay, Panama, and Brazil.

Rionda is intimately involved in the day-to-day challenges of the individual tracks, while also trying to guide the overall growth of Codere's racing division.

"I'll admit I never anticipated being this involved in the day-to-day operations of so many tracks, while also trying to see the big picture in terms of growth," he said during a break from his travels to visit a Codere operation. "It's very challenging, but it's something I enjoy doing. With multiple operations, there are multiple issues that need to be addressed on a daily basis.

"Fortunately, we have solid management personnel at all of our properties. They allow me to try to focus on new opportunities and attempt to be proactive in that regard. Without them, I would be forced to be more reactive and lose sight of the primary target, which is growing the company."

The expansion of simulcasting and account deposit wagering, for example, and the fact that Codere's tracks in Latin America all fall under the same time zones as the United States, creates a much greater opportunity for potential growth.

"All tracks—not just in the U.S. or Latin America—are faced with the challenge to grow their business by embracing the possibilities with the new technology. The competition for the gaming and entertainment dollar is real," Rionda said. "That means we need to still keep our focus on core customer service—the on-track patron—while also recognizing the very challenging possibilities for sharing our signals and receiving quality racing through off-track wagering and simulcasting and ADWs. It's a fascinating mix that changes almost daily.

"As an industry, product distribution has become the primary goal, and we feel we need to introduce other areas to Latin racing. We feel it's a well-kept secret in North America."

With Latin breeders becoming much more active at the horse sales in Kentucky, Florida and New York, and prominent breeders investing in major farm operations in Lexington and Ocala, Rionda is encouraged by recent growth and increased awareness.

"It's my job to expose our product to as many racing jurisdictions as possible, and the convenience with the time zones makes it more available and more attractive," he said. "There is no question it's an expanding universe, so being aggressive in areas common to the retail business also apply to horse racing today.

Rionda recently made arrangements for the signal from Hipodromo de las Americas to be received via TwinSpires.com.

"That's an important first step," he said. "The increase in the Hispanic population in the U.S. means our target demographics increase substantially, meaning we can drive more potential race fans to ADWs as well as simulcast parlors and race tracks throughout the U.S.

"Ideally, it becomes a win-win proposition."

A normal week for Rionda is far from normal. While attempting to orchestrate the business potential from his office at Codere America headquarters in Buenos Aires, Argentina, his presence is always needed at one of the tracks. That makes for an incredibly demanding travel schedule, including occasions when he must fly to Mexico to meet with management personnel at Hipodromo de las Americas, or to Panama, where Hipodromo Presidente Remon is located. He also represents Codere's interests on the board of directors at Hipodromo Nacional de Maronas in Montevideo, Uruguay.

In addition, Rionda offers his expertise as a support arm for Codere Brazil's management operations, which is run by managing director Andre Gelfi. In another pioneering move for the gaming giant, Gelfi recently announced an exclusive joint agreement to send the racing signal from Jockey Club Parana, in Curitiba, a city of 2 million people about 200 miles from Sao Paulo, to other racing jurisdictions worldwide.

"Like I said, we have very capable management personnel at all of our locations and that relieves a lot of pressure for me, but many times it's just necessary that I be on location if there are issues that require my personal attention," Rionda explained.

As a result of the travel demands, Rionda admits that he has conditioned himself to sleep whenever possible in a slightly reclined airplane seat or in an airline terminal. "It's not a negative for me. It's what I need to do to get the job done. So I just do it," he said.

Rionda, who speaks four languages fluently, lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with his wife, Jennifer, and daughter, Sophia.

Rionda and Codere and the government of Panama recently hosted the Clasico del Caribe, one of the most prestigious races for 3-year-olds in Latin America, for the second straight year. Horses from other Latin countries compete annually in the event. This year's race attracted top 3-year-olds from Panama, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, and Panama. The 2013 contest was won by Diamante Negro, representing Mexico.

"The enthusiasm remains for horse racing in Latin countries," he said. "The challenge now is to examine how we can collectively expand our horizons through creative marketing and shared business objectives. We face the same demands for industry synergy as the United States faces. It's up to us to stay on the cutting edge and find a proper direction by employing the dynamics of Thoroughbred racing with the new technology. In that regard, the footprint never ceases to change."