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Elevating Horse Racing: How Indiana Grand’s Eric Halstrom Is Changing The Viewing Experience

Eric Halstrom, Vice President and General Manager of Racing at Indiana Grand Racing and Casino, is on a quest. He wants to create the kind of innovation that will make Indiana Grand not just the gold standard in horse tracks, but a point of reference in the larger entertainment world.

I had the pleasure of working with Eric when he led innovation at Harrah's Louisiana Downs, using new ideas to help drive a staggering 70% increase in its wagering handle.

In a time when our industry is at crossroads, Eric and his team are charging ahead with innovations like a new drone program, a new audio and visual system for the Indiana Horse Racing Commission stewards, and a robust social media presence.

Driving innovation in horse racing

Anyone working in horse racing knows our industry isn't quick to change. For years, production and distribution have been stuck in a standard definition and closed-distribution rabbit hole. This has hindered the industry from finding new destinations and audiences, as well as new opportunities to enter the wider sports betting market.

Remote production and high definition content distribution changes what's possible for the industry, and Eric and his team have jumped on the opportunity to delight fans and find a wider audience.

Being a horse racing enthusiast and sports bettor himself, Eric understood what customers want: a compelling viewing experience. That's true whether they're watching TV or at the track. And when it comes to wagering, the right camera angle can speak a thousand words. That's why Eric is so excited about Indiana Grand's deployment of a camera drone which will capture shots and angles that weren't possible before.

The Matrice 200 Drone features the latest capabilities in aerial production, including zoom options with adjustable speed. The device is a little less than three feet in width and stands 16 inches high. The drone project hasn't necessarily been easy to execute. Although drones have been deployed in a limited capacity at the Breeders' Cup, this is the first time one will be fully integrated into horse racing TV production.

Luckily, Eric's 15- strong team shares his ambition for innovating and Eric knew the camera drone idea had legs.

“You know your idea is good when it sparks excitement across the team,” he said. “Everyone immediately felt that deploying a camera drone would shake up the horse racing viewing experience.”

In addition to upfront investment in drone technology, Eric's team had to recruit three drone operators willing to go through 80 hours of training with the Federal Aviation Administration to be licensed a Remote Pilot Certificate.

Orlando Mojica in the Indiana Grand winner's circle with track executive Eric Halstrom

Geared to win

2020 has been a challenging year, with the industry relying on creative and passionate people like Eric to keep going while looking for new opportunities. Is innovation as easy as it sounds? Definitely not. Eric and his team are ready to up their game.

“We want to explore what shots are particularly interesting to our clients and deliver them consistently,” he said. “We appreciate that innovation is a trial and error process.

“As we continue to optimize the equipment, we'll discover opportunities with the drone that we aren't even aware of at this time.”

Rich Rosa is the Vice President of Business Development for Wagering and Simulcasting at LTN Global Communications. As LTN's horse racing industry lead, Rich partners with tracks across the country to help them create high-quality productions and find new distribution outlets to raise their profile — and ultimately their wagering handle. LTN offers centralized production and IP-based transport services to help tracks produce and/or distribute high-quality HD and 4K content.

About LTN Global

LTN® Global is a worldwide leader in video technology solutions for producers and distributors of broadcast-quality content. Built on the world's fastest and most reliable IP multicast network, LTN's universal media ecosystem unites modular services and integrates with other leading technologies to bring full-video-chain workflows, driving scale from creation and acquisition to monetization and delivery.

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‘And That’s A Wrap From Tampa’: Richard Grunder Calls Final Race

After calling his 37,587th horse race Sunday at Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, Fla., announcer Richard Grunder succeeded – barely – in keeping his emotions under control.

“And that's a wrap from Tampa,” Grunder said as the aptly named Friendly Fella crossed the wire in first in the 10th race, “and God bless everyone involved in the Thoroughbred industry.”

Once the race became official, the jockeys and their valets lined up in the winner's circle, waving toward the press box and shouting their encouragement to the man whose voice is the only one most Oldsmar followers have ever known.

“Thank you guys. Thank you so much,” said Grunder, known far and wide as a vocal supporter of race riders.

With the understanding that all the attention he has received since announcing his retirement has made him uncomfortable (although he never showed it), on to the action on closing day of the 2020-2021 season.

Video of Richard Grunder's final call at Tampa Bay Downs

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Medina Spirit 20th Santa Anita Derby Runner To Win the Roses At Churchill Downs

Bob Baffert-trained Medina Spirit, upset winner of Saturday's Grade 1 Kentucky Derby with John Velazquez aboard, not only provided Baffert with his record seventh Derby win and Velazquez with his fourth, he also became the 20th horse to exit the G1 Santa Anita Derby and go on to win the Run for the Roses.

Second, beaten 4 ¼ lengths by Rock Your World as the 4-5 favorite going 1 1/8 miles in the Runhappy Santa Anita Derby April 3, Medina Spirit, a Florida-bred colt by Protonico, out of the Brilliant Speed mare Mongolian Changa, was purchased for just $35,000 out of the 2020 Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s July Two-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale on the recommendation of Santa Anita-based private clocker and bloodstock agent Gary Young.

A gate to wire winner of the Derby by a half length, Medina Spirit, off at 12-1, returned $26.20 to win while covering a mile and one quarter in 2:01.02.

A first-out maiden winner going 5 ½ furlongs at Los Alamitos Dec. 11, Medina Spirit, who is owned by Zedan Racing Stables, demonstrated the gameness that has now enabled him to become a Kentucky Derby winner when running a close second to stablemate and early Derby favorite Life Is Good in the G3 Sham Stakes at one mile at Santa Anita on Jan. 2.

A subsequent neck winner of the G3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on Jan. 30, Baffert stayed home with Medina Spirit in the G2 San Felipe Stakes March 6 and he finished a well beaten second to Life Is Good.

Although Baffert downplayed Medina's Spirit's chances leading into Saturday's Derby, he and Velazquez made the decision to let the colt roll on the front-end, instead of trying to ration his speed as was done when he was beaten 4 ½ lengths by Rock Your World in the Santa Anita Derby.

“I was counting on his heart,” said Baffert early Sunday morning from Louisville. “He shipped well. He had to run his A-game and he brought it. He sort of ran the same race he ran in the Robert Lewis. He fought everybody off in the Lewis and did the same thing yesterday. It was unbelievable, a great feeling, because I'm used to going in there with the heavyweights, the favorites and all that.”

Young, who was also reached early Sunday in Louisville, touched upon the Derby-winning strategy.

“There wasn't much speed inside of him,” Young said. “Plan A was to go to the lead, and the horse I feared most in the race (Rock Your World), got eliminated at the start…Medina has a lot of ability, but what takes him to the next level is his heart. He never let a horse get in front of him yesterday, not even on the gallop-out.”

Private clocker and bloodstock agent Gary Young

Although John Sadler-trained Rock Your World finished a disappointing 17th after a rough start, Doug O'Neill-conditioned Hot Rod Charlie finished third, beaten one length under the Santa Anita meet's leading rider Flavien Prat, making for a 1-3 finish for Santa Anita-based runners.

Dating back to O'Neill's I'll Have Another in 2012, an amazing seven out of the last 10 Kentucky Derbies have now been won by Southern California-based horses and Baffert, who has now won four out of the last seven runnings, added Medina Spirit to a Kentucky Derby trophy case that already included Silver Charm (1997); Real Quiet (1998); War Emblem (2002); American Pharoah (2015); Justify (2018) and Authentic (2020).

In becoming the 20th horse to use the Santa Anita Derby as a prelude to glory at Churchill Downs, Medina Spirit joins an illustrious roster of local Derby alumni: Gallahadion (13^th, 1940); Hill Gail (1^st, 1952); Determine (1^st, 1954); Swaps (1^st, 1955); Lucky Debonair (1^st, 1965); Majestic Prince (1^st, 1969); Affirmed (1^st, Triple Crown winner 1978); Gato Del Sol (4^th, 1982); Ferdinand (3^rd, 1986); Winning Colors (1^st, 1988); Sunday Silence (1^st, 1989); Silver Charm (2^nd, 1997); Real Quiet (2^nd, 1998); Charismatic (4^th, 1999); Giacomo (4^th, 2005); I'll Have Another (1^st, 2012); California Chrome (1^st, 2014); Justify (1^st, Triple Crown winner 2018); Authentic (2^nd, 2020) and Medina Spirit, second in this year's Santa Anita Derby.

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Preakness Weekend Stakes Nominations At Pimlico Close Tuesday

Stakes nominations are due Tuesday, May 4, for Preakness weekend at Pimlico Race Course, featuring 16 stakes, 10 graded, worth $3.25 million in purses May 14-15 led by the 146^th running of the Preakness Stakes (G1), Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown.

Other graded events on Preakness Day, May 15, are the $250,000 Dinner Party (G2) and $150,000 Gallorette (G3) on turf and the $200,000 Chick Lang (G3), $150,000 Maryland Sprint (G3) and $100,000 UAE President Cup (G1) for Arabian horses on the main track.

Preakness eve, May 14, will be highlighted by the 97th running of the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) for 3-year-old fillies. Among the supporting graded stakes are the historic $250,000 Pimlico Special (G3) and $150,000 Miss Preakness on dirt and $150,000 Allaire du Pont (G3) on turf.

The Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series returns following a one-year hiatus amid the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 with four races Preakness weekend – the Pimlico Special and Allaire du Pont May 14 and the Maryland Sprint and $100,000 Runhappy Skipat May 15.

Entries will be taken and post positions drawn Sunday, May 9 for the Black-Eyed Susan Day program and Monday, May 10 for Preakness Day.

For the fifth straight year, the Maryland Jockey Club is offering bonus money totaling $100,000 to trainers who run a minimum of five horses in the 15 Thoroughbred stakes races during Preakness weekend. The trainer with the most points will receive $50,000, second $25,000, third $12,000, fourth $7,000, fifth $4,000 and sixth $2,000.

Points are accumulated for finishing first (10 points), second (seven), third (five), fourth (three) and having a starter (one) in the Skipat, Miss Preakness, Allaire du Pont, Black-Eyed Susan, Pimlico Special, Hilltop, Jim McKay Turf Sprint, Maryland Sprint, Chick Lang, Preakness, Gallorette, James W. Murphy, Dinner Party, The Very One and Sir Barton.

There will also be bonus money totaling $50,000 for trainers with the most points in non-stakes races during Preakness weekend. The points are accumulated in similar fashion with $25,000 going to the leader, $10,000 to second, $7,000 to third, $4,000 to fourth, $2,500 to fifth and $1,000 to sixth.

Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen was the leading Preakness weekend stakes trainer in 2018 and 2019, followed by Brad Cox in 2019 and Mike Maker in 2020.

Races & Post Times for Black-Eyed Susan, Preakness
The Maryland Jockey Club will feature 14-race programs on Black-Eyed Susan Day and Preakness Day.

On Friday, May 15, first race post will be 11:30 a.m. ET with the Black-Eyed Susan scheduled to go off at approximately 5:44 p.m. On Saturday, May 16, the live program begins at 10:30 a.m. with the Preakness scheduled to go off at approximately 6:47 p.m.

There will be a Black-Eyed Susan-Preakness daily double offered Friday. The Preakness will be the 13^th race Saturday, followed by the UAE President Cup (G1) for Arabians at 7:33 p.m.

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