NYRA Looks at Marketplace, Switches Twilight Cards

Since David O'Rourke stepped into the role of CEO, the New York Racing Association has been quite willing to adopt change.

In February came word that NYRA would open Saratoga Race Course a week earlier and switch to five-day weeks for the bulk of the meet.

Last week, NYRA made a less significant but noteworthy move in switching the day of the week it will conduct twilight racing.

While the change of twilight racing at Belmont Park from its traditional Friday spot on the racing calendar to Thursday may seem curious, it was rooted in a willingness to experiment and an understanding of the marketplace. With Churchill Downs conducting twilight racing on Thursdays, O'Rourke wants to find out if the prospect of twilight racing at two major circuits on the same day will resonate with fans.

"With Churchill having a twilight card on Thursday, there's a market there and maybe we can piggy-back on that," said O'Rourke, who was named NYRA's CEO on an interim basis Jan. 23 and was appointed president and CEO March 26.

O'Rourke wants to compare NYRA's figures for twilight racing on Thursdays and Fridays to find out if a different day can improve on an already successful format.

Over the course of the past four years, Fridays with twilight racing enjoyed a 14.5% bump in all-sources handle over Fridays that began at the typical 1:30 p.m. first post (not including Fridays during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival). New York outlets showed a 20% jump for twilight cards during that period while California outlets were up 37%. Kentucky, Maryland and Florida outlets had a 7% gain.

"We already have the handle data for twilight racing on Friday," O'Rourke said. "Now we can put it to use and compare it with the Thursday data to help with future planning."

NYRA plans to conduct twilight racing on Thursdays beginning May 9 with a starting time of 3:05 p.m. Churchill Downs started its Thursday twilight racing cards at 5 p.m. last year.

O'Rourke also said NYRA may address the occasional changes to its standard 1:30 p.m. first post at Belmont Park with an eye toward possibly locking in an earlier time that will be used on a regular basis on non-twilight days throughout the meet.