Race Track Industry Program

This year's panels reflect current trends in topics including racino and track operations, regulatory matters, wagering issues, marketing and stakeholder interests.

We will continue to update the panels as speakers are added and more information becomes available, so come back often!

A joint seminar presented by The Jockeys’ Guild, The Association of Racing Commissioners International and the Race Track Industry Program to look at various safety issues involving riders. Topics to include medical research on spinal cord and brain injuries, workers compensation issues, the tracking of these issues on the Rider Injury Database and areas regarding these topics that may need to be addressed in administrative rules by regulators.

• Speakers:
  Dr. Dalton Dietrich, Scientific Director, The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis Kinetic Concepts; Distinguished Chair in Neurology and Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Miami; Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine Lois Pope LIFE Center
  Dr. Edward D. Hall, Director, Spinal Cord & Brain Injury Research Center (SCoBIRC); Professor, Anatomy & Neurobiology, Neurosurgery, Neurology and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, University of Kentucky Medical Center
  Brad Kimbrell, Executive Vice President, InCompass
  William Koester, Chairman, Ohio State Racing Commission
  Dr. Oswald Steward, Director, Reeve-Irvine Research Center, University of California at Irvine School of Medicine
  Mike Ziegler, Executive Director, NTRA Safety & Integrity Alliance

Complimentary Breakfast for all Attendees

Keynote Address—Why I’m Still Breeding Racehorses

Robert Evans shares five reasons to be optimistic about Thoroughbred racing’s long-term future.

• Robert Evans, President and CEO, Churchill Downs Inc.

International Simulcasting – A “How To” Primer to Better Position Your Product for International Customers

Session presented as a webinar – Click here to view archived session

It’s been said that international simulcasting is the wave of the future. But just as no two waves are alike on the oceans that separate countries, those foreign partners each have a different look and feel. Join us as a group of international simulcasting decision-makers discuss the various issues that make us different and how they can be harmonized to allow us to work together.
Panelists, representing a number of countries, guide you through the perils and pitfalls that may be encountered on the way to creating a successful international agreement.

• Moderator:
  David Llewellyn, President, Australian Racing
• Speakers:
  Andrew Brown, CEO, New Zealand Racing Board
  Ines Hendili, International Project Manager, PMU
  Brendan Parnell, COO, Sky Racing
  John Stuart, Director of International Sales, Marketing and Operations, Phumelela Gold
  Kim Heng Teo, VP Sales and Business Development, Singapore Turf Club
  Matthew Imi, CEO, At The Races

Luncheon featuring HTA Award, RTIP Awards and TPA Big Sport of Turfdom Award

"Not Your Father's" Mark Kaufman Workshop

We’ll ask this diverse group of experts who see the sport from so many sides not to pat us on the back, but to kindly kick us in the butt. While the workshop opens us up to criticism, participants will offer solutions to the various weak spots they see. Unrehearsed, it should offer lively conversation and give us all something to take back to our tracks.

• Moderator:
  John Engelhardt , Director of Publicity, River Downs
• Speakers:
  Amy Zimmerman, Vice President, Business Coordination, Santa Anita;
  Sr. Vice President and Executive Producer, HRTV
  Tom LaMarra, News Editor, The Blood-Horse
  Jennie Rees, Journalist, The Courier Journal
  Greg Peck, FineLine, Inc. Media Training
  

RTIP Student Reports

This special forum offers students of the Race Track Industry Program the opportunity to present their academic projects to Symposium attendees in an informal setting. Don’t miss the chance to meet these students and discuss the findings of their work.

International Tote Protocol Meeting

Open to all Symposium attendees

A working group discussion about issues and solutions to problems regarding the protocol for merging pools on an international basis.

When a Blessing Becomes a Burden

Racinos — we all wanted them. But did we really understand what they would mean to the long-term success and survival of the racing industry? Panelists will address this important question by examining the evolutionary process that has led some to question whether the marriage of gaming and racing is symbiotic or parasitic.

• Moderator/Speakers:
  Jack Ketterer, Administrator, Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission
• Speaker:
  Stephen Martino, Director, Maryland State Lottery
  Jeffrey Smith, General Manager–Racing, Hoosier Park Racing & Casino

Diversification and Revenue Generation Through the Use of Partnerships

A look at how racetracks without alternative gaming options can generate additional revenue and enhance their businesses through a variety of different private and/or public partnerships.

• Moderator:
  Todd Gralla, Director of Equestrian Services, Populous
• Speakers:
  Jon Baker, Executive Director, Southwestern Fair Commission, Inc.
  Dean Dennis, VP Business Development, Global Spectrum Group/General Manager, Pueblo Convention Center
  Janis Schoepf, Kalispell Race Meet
  

Jockeys’ Guild Sessions

Open to all Symposium attendees

• Rider Image and Interaction with the Media | 10:00-11:00 am
  
  Richard Valeriani, who spent more than 31 years as a correspondent for NBC News and The Associated Press, now looks at the media from the opposite perspective. His specialty is training corporate executives, celebrities and other professionals on how to conduct themselves before the media. Valeriani guides members of the Guild through the art of dealing with the media.



• Executive Director Nancy LaSala discusses the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF) | 11:00 am-Noon

  Incorporated in the spring of 2006, the PDJF is governed by an independent board comprised of stakeholders from a broad cross-section of the horse racing industry. The PDJF is committed to working with both industry and medical research groups to improve the safety of both the human and equine athlete as well as medical research projects dedicated to reducing catastrophic injuries. Since its founding in 2006, the fund has disbursed over $2.5 million to permanently disabled jockeys, most of whom have sustained paralysis or brain injuries.



• Riders Safety Workshop | 2:00-4:00 pm
  A more in depth discussion of the issues presented during Monday’s Rider's Safety Summit.

Evening Reception

Complimentary Breakfast for all Attendees

Prayer Breakfast

New Technologies and the New Realities for the Distribution of Racing Content

Session presented as a webinar–Click here to view archived session

Consumers are asking for and sometimes getting to view racing in new and different ways. In some cases, the content seems to come in fairly familiar ways; in others, the distribution may be through different channels altogether. Panelists will discuss offering ever greater convenience, wider distribution of racing and greater reliability by employing currently available technology.

• Moderator:
  Hugh Mitchell, Chief Executive Officer, Western Fair Association
• Speakers:
  Steven C. Hawley, Principal Analyst & Consultant, tvstrategies™, Advanced Media Strategies LLC
  Matthew Imi, CEO, At The Races
  Todd Roberts, President and C.E.O., Roberts Communications Network, Inc
  

Dale Dauten – Leadership & Innovation

Renowned author, commentator and motivator Dale Dauten presents an entertaining and educational program on the importance of leadership and innovation in today’s tough business environment. He will pick up where he left off from last years provocative panel and discuss ideas from his newest work, “The Loveable Hard-Ass—How to Get From “Liked” to “Respected.”.

• Speaker:
  Dale Dauten, President, Lumina Corporation and founder of The Innovators’ Lab™, an organization devoted to developing and testing new ideas in management and marketing.
  
  

Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility – they’ve become something like buzzwords these days. But in many ways, racing organizations have always been good corporate citizens. And now they are making even greater contributions to the towns and cities in which they’re located, with efforts aimed at recycling and “greening” facilities as well as through increased charitable works – often leading the way in making their communities better places to live.

• Moderator/Speaker:
  Jane Holmes, Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Woodbine Entertainment Group, Inc.
• Speakers:
  Sherwood Chillingworth, Executive Vice President, Oak Tree Racing Association
  Nick Nicholson, President and C.E.O., Keeneland Association, Inc.
  Gary Palmer, President and CEO, Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino

NTRA Federal Legislative Advocacy

Federal Legislative Advocacy and the impact of the November elections on the horse racing industry.

• Speakers:
  Greg Means, Co-Founder and Principal, Alpine Group
  Peggy Hendershot, Senior V.P., Legislation & Corporate Planning, NTRA

NTRA Safety & Integrity Alliance

Safety and Integrity Alliance, including updates on the 2011 Code and accreditation.

• Speakers:
  Steven Koch, Vice President,Thoroughbred Racing, Woodbine Entertainment
  Tom Metzen, Sr., President, HBPA–Minnesota and Executive Director, HBPA–Arizona
  Mike Ziegler, Executive Director, NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance
  

NTRA Marketing Summit

Marketing programs, including the $2 million Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship; using Web 2.0 to efficiently reach core and target customers and PR and publicity initiatives.

• Speakers:
  Keith Chamblin, Senior VP–Marketing & Industry Communications, NTRA
  John Della Volpe, Founder and Managing Partner, SocialSphere, Inc.
  Stanley Bavlish, Thoroughbred Racing Handicapper

NTRA Advantage

NTRA Advantage and Business Development and the case for using partners and their brands to benefit all segments of the industry.

• Speaker:
  Joe Morris, Senior Vice President, NTRA Advantage

Evening Reception

Complimentary Breakfast for all Attendees

Boutique ADWs – the Who, What and How

Niche ADW operators discuss their origins, how they fit in the industry and their strategies in the marketplace. This session looks at the business models of boutique ADWs and illustrates what allows them to offer special player services that provide customers with a small company service while providing large operator benefits.

• Moderator:
  Randy Evers, Executive Director, Oregon Racing Commission
  Speakers:
  Ed Comins, CEO, European Wagering Services (WatchandWager)
  J. Randy Gallo, President, Bettor Racing, Inc.
  Mark Gregory, President and CEO, eBet Technologies, Inc
  Mr. Bruce Soulsby, President, Avatar Ventures dba darkhorsebet
  

The State of California Racing

Speakers from the Golden State will talk about the “state of the state’s” racing industry and what they are doing to prevent or promote seismic shifts in the California racing landscape.

• Moderator:
  Jay Privman, National Correspondent, DRF
• Speaker:
  Joseph Harper, CEO, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club
  David Israel, Vice Chairman, California Horse Racing Board
  Norman C. Towne, Consulting and Advocacy

Point/Counter Point. . . A Frank Discussion Between Stewards and Racing Media

Accredited stewards and judges provide insight into their role in officiating and regulating racing.

• Moderator:
  Eric Wing, Senior Director of Media Relations, NTRA
• Speakers:
  Ed DeRosa, News Editor, Thoroughbred Times
  Dan Fick, Flat Racing Steward
  Hugh Gallagher, Executive Director, DHRC
  Tom LaMarra, News Editor, The Blood-Horse
  Jennie Rees, Journalist, The Courier Journal
  Denny Oelschlager, Vice President, Advanced Monitoring Systems

From YouTube to the Big Screen—Horse Racing is Making a Big Splash! You don't want to miss:

• $1,500 Funniest Horse Racing Video Contest

  Put a little levity back in the game! Attendees watch the finalist videos of the UofA RTIP’s YouTube $1,500 Funniest Horse Racing Video Contest and determine who the winners will be. A must-see event!

  
  Moderator:
  John Engelhardt, Director of Publicity, River Downs

 

• JOHN HENRY: The Steel Driving Racehorse

  The spectacular story of horse racing’s most unlikely champion. John Henry’s career would affect everyone he came in contact with, leaving behind a positive message of hope, strength and the belief that anything is possible.

  
  Speakers:
  Steven Kaplan, President, Rainstorm Entertainment
  Christian Koby, Co-Director, JOHN HENRY: The Steel Driving Racehorse