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Owner, Trainer Kim Oliver Named President Of Colorado Horsemen’s Association

Owner and trainer Kim Oliver was named the new President of the Colorado Horsemen's Association (CHA) at the organization's regular monthly board meeting Tuesday. The CHA's Board of Directors appointed Oliver to replace previous president Kent Bamford, who resigned at a Special Meeting of the Board last week.

“I am honored to serve my fellow horsemen and excited to work on their behalf with such a wise and talented group of Board members,” Oliver said. “The upcoming Arapahoe Park meet will offer more purse money than we have had available for several years. The CHA is committed to putting on the best show we can for the benefit of all Colorado racing stakeholders.”

The Board also voted to make owner/trainer Mark Schultz its new Vice President, a role previously held by Jim Weimer, who also resigned last week.

Four new Board members were appointed to fill vacancies created by the recent resignations of Bamford, Weimer, Vaughn Long, and Sandy Miller. The new Board members are owner/trainer Mark Kulow, owner Rob Ring, owner/trainer Howie Chavers, and owner Robin Smith. The full Board is comprised of nine directors, which already included Victor Cervantes, Kerry Kemper, Oliver, Miguel Pena, and Schultz. The four new Board members will serve until the next vote of the CHA's full membership later this year.

Also at Tuesday's meeting, the Board named owner Lisa Trujillo as Secretary in a non-voting capacity. Trujillo is a public relations specialist who has served as PR manager for metro Denver's Regional Transit District (RTD) for more than eight years.

Last week the Board appointed Jim Mulvihill as the CHA's Interim Executive Director. Mulvihill recently relocated to Colorado from Kentucky, where he worked for Churchill Downs Inc. as Sr. Director of Betting Information. Prior to that Mulvihill served as Director of Media & Industry Relations at the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) and has also worked on track in communications roles at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in New Orleans and Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie near Dallas.

Mulvihill succeeds longtime CHA Executive Director Shannon Rushton, who resigned from his CHA role last week. Rushton remains the Racing Secretary at Arapahoe, the state's lone pari-mutuel racetrack. The annual 32-date Arapahoe meet – with racing for Thoroughbreds, American Quarter Horses, and Arabians – is set to open later than usual, on Aug. 11, with racing Wednesdays to Saturdays through Oct. 2. To view Condition Book 1 or to find out more about racing at Arapahoe, please visit mihiracing.com.

Tuesday's public meeting was held remotely via Zoom. Questions and input regarding the CHA may be directed via e-mail to ColoradoHorseRacing@gmail.com.

About the CHA
The Colorado Horsemen's Association advertises, fosters, and promotes the horse racing industry in the State of Colorado. The organization collects and distributes information concerning horses bred and raised for racing, and thus encouraging a better business climate for the state's horse racing industry. The CHA encourages cooperation between horse breeders, owners, and trainers of race horses in the State of Colorado. The CHA regularly engages with legislative bodies, state agencies, racing associations, and racing commissions in the establishment of statutes, directives, proper rules, and conditions that affect the horse racing industry. The CHA represents the interests and property rights of individuals participating in Colorado horse racing activities in a fair and reasonable manner in dealing with racing associations including, but not limited to, purse monies, off-track betting, simulcasting, performance rights, interest on deposits in horsemen's bookkeeper accounts, and negotiation of contracts with racing associations. Visit the CHA online at CHAnews.org.

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Carmen M. Barrera Horsemen’s Lounge Completed At Saratoga

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has announced the completion of the Carmen M. Barrera Horsemen's Lounge at Saratoga Race Course.

Formerly known as the Saratoga Room, the horsemen's lounge has been renovated and renamed to honor the memory of Carmen M. Barrera, NYRA's longtime director of horsemen's relations who died unexpectedly on August 8, 2019.

Barrera joined NYRA in 1978, the same year that her uncle Laz Barrera campaigned Affirmed to the Triple Crown, and was a valued employee and familiar presence at all NYRA tracks since that time. Her father, Luis, was a trainer as well, campaigning Summing to victory in the 1981 Belmont Stakes. And her cousin, Juan Dominguez is NYRA's racing facilities coordinator.

“NYRA and New York's racing community at large owe Carmen a debt of gratitude for her decades of service to our sport,” said Martin Panza, NYRA Senior Vice President of Racing Operations. “That she will now have a permanent place at Saratoga Race Course is a fitting honor for someone who cared so deeply for Saratoga.”

Located just off the Porch on the first floor of the clubhouse, the convenient drop-in facility offers assorted beverages and will be open to licensed owners and trainers.

The 40-day summer meet at historic Saratoga Race Course will feature 76 stakes worth $21.5 million in total purses highlighted by the 152nd renewal of the Grade 1, $1.25 million Runhappy Travers on August 28 and the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney on August 7, as the anchors of two of the most prestigious racing days in North America.

Following the four-day Runhappy Opening Weekend from Thursday, July 15 through Sunday, July 18, racing will be conducted five days a week, Wednesdays through Sundays, with the exception of the final week, when the meet will conclude on Labor Day.

For more information about Saratoga Race Course, visit NYRA.com/Saratoga.

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Hall Of Fame Jockey John Rotz Dies At 86

A class act both in and out of the saddle, Hall of Fame jockey John Rotz died peacefully at the age of 86 at his farm in Warrensburg, Illinois, on July 12. Rotz, who won 2,907 races and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1983, was North America's leading stakes-winning rider in 1969 and 1970, when he rode Hall of Famers Gallant Bloom and Ta Wee, as well as champion Silent Screen.

Born Dec. 16, 1934, in Niantic, Illinois, Rotz went to work at Fairmount Park following his graduation from high school in 1952. He started out as a groom, hot walker, and exercise rider before making his debut as a jockey in 1953.

Known as “Gentleman John,” Rotz began his career riding in fairs in the Midwest before becoming the leading rider in New York in 1961 and 1962. He won the Preakness Stakes by a nose aboard Greek Money in 1962 and the Belmont Stakes on High Echelon in 1970.

Polite, articulate, dependable rather than flashy, his opinion was valued by trainers both before and after a race. Rotz had a gentle touch with temperamental horses and was known for his success with fillies. He won the Acorn and Mother Goose on Deceit and won notable races aboard top fillies such as What a Treat, Rose Bower, Obeah, Castle Forbes, Indian Maid, Rash Statement, and Chou Croute.

Rotz won the Metropolitan with both Hall of Famer Carry Back and In Reality, the Wood Memorial on Globemaster and No Robbery, and the Champagne on Roman Brother, Silent Screen, and Stop the Music. He also rode Hall of Famer Dr. Fager, as well as Verbatim, The Axe II, and Mongo.

Rotz, who was honored with the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in 1973, retired from riding that year at the age of 39. His 2,907 wins ranked 15th at the time. He later served as The Jockey Club steward in New York.

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Elevating Horse Racing: Hieronymous Took Keeneland’s Broadcasting From The Bottom To The Top

In the early 2000s, hosting the Breeders' Cup seemed an unattainable ambition for Keeneland. Like many racetracks, they lagged behind in broadcast quality and needed to improve venue infrastructure. But in a dramatic turnaround in 2005, Keeneland won the first of seven International Simulcast Awards for outstanding simulcast signal. In 2015, Keeneland became the home of what's widely acknowledged as the best Breeders' Cup ever.

The year 2000, when G.D. Hieronymus joined Keeneland as Director of Broadcast Services, marked a turning point for the racetrack's broadcast department. Under Hieronymus' leadership, Keeneland became the most technology-advanced broadcast facility in horse racing across the US.

Leading the broadcast signal innovation

Keeneland's broadcast signal struggled with average standard definition (SD) quality. In 2000, Keeneland approached Hieronymus, then Vice President of Production at Hammond Communications, and tasked him with transforming its simulcast broadcast to stand out from the crowd.

Hieronymus believed in the power of delivering a compelling fan experience both on-track and in-broadcast, and was committed to upping Keeneland's game.

“Compared to other sports, horse racing has been miles off delivering great broadcast coverage and an engaging at-venue and off-track viewing experience. At Keeneland, we were determined to change that with the right technology,” Hieronymus said.

Keeneland was ahead of its time in recognizing that network air time relied on the racetracks delivering a high-quality broadcast signal. To meet this goal, Hieronymus concentrated on making Keeneland the first full-HD racetrack in North America. The Keeneland team upgraded the camera equipment and control room, dramatically improving the racetrack's simulcast signal and distribution. They were also one of the first racetracks to include a TVG-dedicated position in the control room, helping increase their TVG air time.

“We were committed to making the networks' job easier and delivering the signal quality they needed to make Keeneland look good. We've built our control room on this premise,” Hieronymus said.

The Breeders' Cup milestone

During Hieronymus' service, Keeneland hosted the Breeders' Cup World Championships in 2015 and 2020. The horse racing industry still praises the 2015 competition for its great planning and execution despite difficult weather conditions at the time.

In 2020, the Breeders' Cup returned to Keeneland under even more challenging conditions. With COVID-19 protocols limiting at-venue audience attendance, the virtual viewing experience became even more important. This was the perfect opportunity for Hieronymus and his team to revolutionize fan engagement at Keeneland.

“As a horse racing fan and wagerer, I've always felt the viewers were at the mercy of technical directors, who typically only focused on the top horses in the race,” he said. “This meant we hardly got the chance to see other horses during pre-race. I wanted to change that.”

Keeneland, NBC, and Breeders' Cup deployed over 80 television cameras covering the event, but Hieronymus wanted to take the fan experience a step further. Together with the Breeders' Cup and LTN Global, he delivered the Contender Cam, the ISO coverage of every horse in every race. The Contender Cam provided 14 individual views of each horse, from when the horse entered the paddock to when it entered the starting gate. This footage of individual horses, available on the Breederscup.com app, Player Show, and NBC, enabled fans and bettors to see their preferred horses up close before placing their bets — replicating and enhancing the in-person fan experience.

HD TV Renovation/Upgrade. Photo Left to right Lauren Warren, Philp Richardson, GD Hieronymus, and Curt Toumanian from Pegasus Communications, Inc.

The Breeders' Cup also featured 360° VR technology, providing an immersive live fan experience of the walking ring and Winner's Circle, and jockey cams allowing fans to experience live view from up to two jockeys in each race. In addition, the Breeders' Cup deployed a 100-miles-per-hour BatCam that provided dynamic aerial views of the races.

Becoming a world-class technology-driven leader for Thoroughbred sales

Aside from a top racetrack, Keeneland is also the Thoroughbred industry's leading auction house, with the most bloodstock going through auctions. Hieronymus and his team introduced a technology infrastructure to optimize the sales operation and buyer interaction and attract more interest worldwide. From a new control room to touchscreen devices that share data and information when horses come in and are integrated with the sales systems, Keeneland has led sales innovation.

In 2020, Keeneland introduced remote bidding to compensate for the pandemic-induced travel restrictions and enable more buyers from across the world to take part in digital auction services. The sales team offered sellers video opportunities to show their horses well in advance and increase bids.

Every racetrack can champion horse racing experience

Keeneland's journey has demonstrated that nothing is impossible when a track's broadcast department is determined to innovate to deliver an outstanding fan experience. Starting with switching to HD and dramatically improving the signal quality, Hieronymus and his team made Keeneland the most innovative racetrack in the country — winning broadcast awards and setting the bar for Breeders' Cup production.

Hieronymus believes in driving fan engagement and creating new revenue opportunities through innovation. With the rest of the sports industry moving fast to 4K, 8K, and rich content formats, racetracks need to deliver a high-quality broadcast signal to compete. To claim a bigger share of the fast-growing sports wagering market, racetracks should create more opportunities for fan and player engagement — and data is a good way to achieve it.

Despite his retirement from Keeneland earlier this year, Hieronymus is still involved in numerous projects across the horse racing industry. Above all, he is on a mission.

“I really want to support all racetracks in raising the quality of their broadcast signal and help our industry compete with other sports head-on,” he said.

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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