Woodbine’s Racing Night Live Returns Friday, Featuring Thoroughbred And Standardbred Action

When Racing Night Live presented by OLG returns this Friday on TSN, the broadcast will once again, noted Woodbine Entertainment CEO Jim Lawson, have all the angles covered. Literally and figuratively speaking.

Back on track starting Friday, June 18, at 7 p.m. ET, Racing Night Live (RNL), a partnership between Woodbine Entertainment and TSN, will showcase world-class Thoroughbred and Standardbred action from Woodbine Racetrack and Woodbine Mohawk Park, respectively.

For Lawson, it's not just the dual-breed live horse racing offering – seven or eight races over two hours – that makes RNL must-see TV.

“I really loved what we did last year,” said Lawson. “We had become mired in the traditional broadcast of racing, handicapping, and wagering. It was hugely successful, a show that was largely geared to a new fan base and a new audience. The work of our production crew and TSN's production crew really came through in the show. It exceeded my expectations. I looked forward to it every week because it was fun and it was new. It certainly took racing to a new level of fun.”

The idea for RNL was born after Lawson and Christina Litz [former Vice President, Digital Media, Business and Revenue Development with Woodbine] approached TSN with the idea of broadcasting live horse racing on Thursday evenings, a night that is traditionally dedicated to CFL action.

When the pandemic hit last March and live sporting events were eventually halted, including the CFL, Lawson and Litz got their plan out of the gates quickly, reaching out to TSN to find out if there was interest in airing horse racing on their channel.

“Christina and I have a long association with TSN through our time with the CFL,” said Lawson, who was the league's Chairman of the Board of Governors from September 2013 to December 2019. “When it became apparent that TSN wasn't going to have CFL games to show on Thursday nights, I reached out to Stewart Johnston [Bell Media's SVP of Sales & Sports] and told him we'd be ready to go – that was at the time the Premier announced the reopening of the economy, in what was then called Phase 1, on May 27. I asked Stew if he would be interested in airing horse racing. After talking with Stew and Christina speaking with Paul Graham [Executive Producer, TSN], we got the nod to go ahead with it.”

However, like any live TV production, Racing Night Live required support from sponsors to make it happen. Not surprisingly, industry partners OLG, HBPA, and COSA all stepped up quickly as sponsors to help bring the show to life and have committed to return for 2021. The show was also supported by Woodbine partners Pepsi, Kraft-Heinz, DRF and Budweiser.

With TSN's interest, combined with support from key industry partners, the show still faced some unprecedented challenges brought on by the global pandemic.

“TSN saw it as a good testing ground on how to broadcast live sports during pandemic. There were all kinds of procedures and protocols they developed with us. Wearing masks, physical distancing – there were many things to go over and adapt to ahead of that first show. There were a lot of different challenges.”

The day prior to the first show, Lawson sat down with TSN's Brian Williams to discuss how the pandemic had impacted the horse racing industry and how Woodbine would operate live racing to ensure the safety of all participants. The segment was featured the following evening on RNL.

Despite several hurdles to overcome, including navigating a broadcast in the midst of COVID-19, RNL's first show of 2020 aired on June 11, making it Canada's first live sports broadcast production during the pandemic.

“April and May had passed, so there were a couple of months of just nothing in terms of live sports. People were starving for something live. The idea for RNL was mostly spawned because there were no live sports available for fans. We put it together really quickly.”

In racing parlance, the debut proved to be a winning trip, a chance to highlight top-level Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing, open up the sport to a new breed of fan, showcase racing and its community through a human-interest lens, all packaged in an engaging viewer experience.

From having Juno Award-winning Canadian music group Arkells contribute their talents to the first show, to different camera angles capturing all of the on-track action, to the hosts seamlessly keeping pace between the two breeds, to Brodie Lawson presenting a weekly segment called 'Top 5 presented by Pepsi', and a clever and fun way to educate fans about the sport through a segment called “Angles”, RNL resonated with fans at the outset and continued to evolve throughout the season.

“The show took on a new life, bringing a fun experience to viewers. We had never taken that approach before where there was a new target audience. It had a new look and feel to it. I give a lot of that credit to Christina Litz. There was music, up-and-coming bands – it just had a different feel to it. I think that made it a lot of fun, to have the music, and a new, fresh approach. The Top 5 was interesting, not only for newcomers, but for also for people that have been around racing a long time. I looked forward to what music and what band was going to play, what slant the show would have on racing that week. I think it was great.

“Having the two breeds was also fantastic. No one had ever been in the position we are, to have what we do, two breeds racing at the same time. I can't think of any racetrack in the world that can go back and forth on the same show. That was also a great aspect for me. It was interesting to see the two breeds spotlighted in one broadcast.”

Perhaps most importantly, the show cumulatively reached more than 2.4 million viewers, showcasing racing to a new audience in 2020.

“We were able to sell our sport. We spent a lot of time with the jockeys and drivers, in particular, getting people to know them, to hear their stories. Those human-interest stories we did were fascinating and they really resonated with people. That makes our sport more interesting to the consumer. I think we did a good job with that.”

Lawson is eager to tune-in for the upcoming season of RNL, which will feature a total of 15 shows starting Friday. After the first five broadcasts, RNL will have a three-week break for the upcoming Summer Olympics, and then air 10 more shows.

“I absolutely am looking forward to it. I can't wait for that first show and all of our broadcasts this year. I think that everything RNL offers is great for horse racing across the country.”

The post Woodbine’s Racing Night Live Returns Friday, Featuring Thoroughbred And Standardbred Action appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Woodbine To Debut Dual-Breed Crossover Pick 5 This Friday

Woodbine Entertainment, home of world class Standardbred and Thoroughbred racing, is set to debut a new dual-breed Crossover Pick-5 wager this Friday (Oct. 16).

The Woodbine Crossover Pick-5 will consist of three races from the Standardbreds at Woodbine Mohawk Park, two races from the Thoroughbreds at Woodbine Racetrack and will be part of each Friday's Racing Night Live broadcast on TSN.

The wager will start each Friday on Race 2 at Woodbine Mohawk Park with the second leg Race 7 at Woodbine Racetrack. The wager will continue to alternate between tracks until all five legs of the sequence are complete.

The Woodbine Crossover Pick-5 will have a $0.20 minimum, a 15 per cent takeout and commence each Friday at approximately 7:26 p.m.

Woodbine Crossover Pick-5
Leg 1: Woodbine Mohawk Park (SB) – Race 2
Leg 2: Woodbine Racetrack (TB) – Race 7
Leg 3: Woodbine Mohawk Park (SB) – Race 3
Leg 4: Woodbine Racetrack (TB) – Race 8
Leg 5: Woodbine Mohawk Park (SB) – Race 4

First race post time each Friday is 4:35 p.m. at Woodbine Racetrack and 7 p.m. at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

The post Woodbine To Debut Dual-Breed Crossover Pick 5 This Friday appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

TSN, Woodbine Bringing Back ‘Racing Night Live’ This Fall

TSN and Woodbine Entertainment announced Friday that the exciting live horse racing series RACING NIGHT LIVE returns to Canada's Sports Leader this fall. Moving to the network's marquee Friday night timeslot, RACING NIGHT LIVE kicks off Friday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. ET on TSN, featuring even more live races each week.

A complete schedule of TSN's RACING NIGHT LIVE coverage is available at TSN.ca (schedule subject to change).

The two-hour weekly show will now feature at least three Thoroughbred races (depending on the number of races on the card) from Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, and four Standardbred races (up from three) from Woodbine Mohawk Park in Milton, Ontario.

Viewers across Canada have been joining in on RACING NIGHT LIVE action and wagering on live races through Woodbine's new easy-to-use horse racing app Dark Horse. Broadcasts have also featured a slate of performances from top Canadian musical artists.

“Racing Night Live has been such a tremendous opportunity for horse racing to connect with a new audience in a dynamic way,” said Jim Lawson, CEO, Woodbine Entertainment.  “We are thrilled to partner with TSN to bring Racing Night Live back in an even bigger way.”

Weekly editions of RACING NIGHT LIVE are produced through a partnership between Woodbine Entertainment, TSN, and Dome Productions. The show is hosted by TSN's Laura Diakun and Woodbine Entertainment's Jason Portuondo, with Brodie Lawson and Chad Rozema contributing reports from track level.

RACING NIGHT LIVE complements TSN's live broadcast coverage of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown. The Queen's Plate champion Mighty Heart won the Prince of Wales Stakes last week and now holds the first two jewels of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown. Should Mighty Heart win the Breeders' Stakes, airing on Saturday, October 24 live on TSN, he would become the first OLG Canadian Triple Crown winner since Wando won it in 2003.

The post TSN, Woodbine Bringing Back ‘Racing Night Live’ This Fall appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Woodbine’s Top Jockeys, Drivers Team Up In Heinz Challenge For Charity

Woodbine Entertainment, in partnership with Kraft-Heinz Canada, today announced the launch of the Heinz Challenge, a six-week series to be contested during Racing Night Live on TSN.

The Heinz Challenge pairs a top Woodbine Racetrack jockey with a top Woodbine Mohawk Park driver to create four teams competing for a $5,000 charitable donation from Woodbine.

Every time one of the participating jockeys or drivers competes during a race aired on Racing Night Live, they have the opportunity to earn points towards their team's challenge score.

All eight participating athletes are ranked among the best in their sport and are well-known personalities at Woodbine Racetrack and Woodbine Mohawk Park. The four competing jockeys are Rafael Hernandez, Kazushi Kimura, Justin Stein and Emma-Jayne Wilson, while the participating drivers are Jody Jamieson, Bob McClure, Doug McNair and Louis-Philippe Roy.

The team with the best 'Points Per Race' average at the end of six weeks will win the challenge. The point system is as follows: 10 points for a win, 5 points for a second-place finish and 2 points for a third-place finish.

(Example: Team A earns 50 points over 10 races: Team A's Points Per Race is 5)

Each member of the winning team will select a charity and Woodbine Entertainment will make a $2,500 donation on their behalf to make up the $5,000 winning prize.

Woodbine Mohawk Park driver James MacDonald was originally scheduled to participate in the Heinz Challenge. MacDonald unfortunately suffered an injury in a racing accident on August 1 and will be unable to participate. Louis-Philippe Roy has been selected to replace MacDonald and the two will split the donation should their team win.

Here are the teams for the Heinz Challenge:

Team E=MC²
Jockey: Emma-Jayne Wilson
Driver: Bob McClure
#TeamEMC2

Team Club DJ
Jockey: Justin Stein
Driver: Doug McNair
#TeamClubDJ

Team Island Boyz
Jockey: Rafael Hernandez
Driver: James MacDonald (unable to participate due to injury)
Driver: Louis-Philippe Roy
#TeamIslandBoyz

Team Double Double
Jockey: Kazushi Kimura
Driver: Jody Jamieson
#TeamDoubleDouble

The Heinz Challenge is the latest feature on the weekly Racing Night Live program on TSN.

Racing Night Live, which airs every Thursday at 6 p.m. ET on TSN, showcases the world-class racing from the Thoroughbreds at Woodbine Racetrack and Standardbreds at Woodbine Mohawk Park over an action-packed two hours.

The Heinz Challenge will run from August 6 to September 10.

Fans can join the conversation, track the leaderboard and cheer on their favourite team through social media by using the hashtag #HeinzChallenge. All eight of the participating athletes can be found on various social media platforms and will be engaging with fans over the course of the six-week event.

The post Woodbine’s Top Jockeys, Drivers Team Up In Heinz Challenge For Charity appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights