Symposium: Panel Gives 45 Ideas in 45 Minutes

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 well-received 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 50-cent 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 fixed-odds wagering a reality.

Kaplan suggested doing things like racing horses on beaches or even iced-over 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 well-received 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 non-participating 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 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.