Simulcast Award to Santa Anita Park

For the third time, Santa Anita Park won the Simulcast Award presented annually at the International Simulcast Conference, held this year in Clearwater Beach, Fla. The Arcadia, Calif., track previously won the award in 2000 and 2001.



The award honors excellence in the presentation of a racetrack's live race product to its simulcast outlets. A panel of five judges selected the winner as best among the 14 North American racetracks entered for consideration.



The International Simulcast Conference is hosted by the Thoroughbred Racing Associations and Harness Tracks of America, in association with the American Greyhound Track Operators Association.



The judges cited Santa Anita's readable presentation, packed with information yet easy to read, along with its excellent display of results, payouts and fractions. One judge said, "It was a pleasure to watch," while another noted that it was easy for newcomers to grasp and understand the data, according to a TRA release. Their multiple camera shots with virtually unobstructed views of the starters were also cited.



The 14 track entries were the actual simulcast audio and video transmission of a single race sent to wagering outlets. Each entry included the pre-race features, odds, will-pays, commentaries, the actual running of the race, the results, and post-race features. Santa Anita's winning entry originally aired June 27, 2015.



The winning production had noteworthy competition from other vote-getting tracks including Saratoga Race Course, Keeneland, Hoosier Park, Los Alamitos, and Woodbine. Each received first, second or third-place votes on several ballots.



Previous winners of the award are Churchill Downs (1997), Turfway Park (1998), Penn National (1999), Santa Anita Park (2000-01), Hollywood Park (2002), Keeneland (2003, 2008-09, 2011-14), Los Alamitos (2007), Del Mar Thoroughbred Club (2005), and Woodbine Entertainment Group (2004, 2006-07, 2010, 2012).