Keeneland Wins Simulcast Award at International Simulcast Conference

Keeneland was declared the winner of this year’s Simulcast Award at the International Simulcast Conference in Lexington, Ky. The award gives the track the distinction of becoming the only six-time winner of the prestigious contest. The crystal trophy was sponsored by the Post Time Group.

The Simulcast Award honors excellence in the presentation of a racetrack’s live race product to its simulcast outlets. A panel of five judges selected the winners as best among the nine North American racetracks entered for consideration.

The judges cited Keeneland’s clear and crisp graphics, use of multiple paddock cameras and a wide variety of shots which gives the viewer a feeling of “being there in person.” The use of Trakus was noted as a valuable addition to the production.

This year’s panel of judges consisted of: Vic Zast, author, Blood-Horse contributor and former racing executive with Delaware North Companies; Mike Mullaney, executive director of the New York State Horse Breeding Development Fund and former Director of Media Relations at Gulfstream Park; Joe Clancy, Editor/Owner of ST Publishing, publisher of The Saratoga Special and thisishorseracing.com; Gary West, ESPN columnist, former president of the National Turf Writers Association and former racing columnist for the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram; and Dean Hoffman, longtime harness racing writer and president of Hoffman Communications LLC, which serves a variety of clients in horse racing.

The nine 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. Keeneland’s winning entry originally aired October 5, 2012.

The winning production had noteworthy competition from other vote-getting tracks including Mohawk, Remington Park, Santa Anita 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, 2008-9, 2011-2), Los Alamitos (2007), Del Mar Thoroughbred Club (2005), and Woodbine Entertainment Group (2004, 2006-7, 2010, 2012).

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.