Trainer Shawn Davis in the Arapahoe Park winner’s circle with Silver’s Lady and jockey Russell Vicchrilli. Kathryn Scott Osler, The Denver Post
My story on Arapahoe Park preparing to plow on with its 2015 horse racing meeting in the wake of Amendment 68’s decisive defeat at the polls last November is .
I also spoke with Arapahoe Park announcer , who also is involved in promotion and publicity work at the track. Horowitz, who had just finished an announcing stint at Turf Paradise in Phoenix, spoke about the same “racing-goes on” attitude others discussed in the story and also mentioned a “Where Horses Come First” mantra for the upcoming meeting.
He brought up such things as:
— Improvements for spectators, including a new cabana area at the track level. “It’ll hold 200 people near the finish line,” Horowitz said.
— Two television shows on Altitude during the season.
Horowitz will host “Gates Open at Arapahoe Park” on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m., with a rebroadcast on Fridays at 10 a.m. “That’ll give a glimpse behind the scenes,” Horowitz said. The show will feature profiles of horsemen and horses.
On each race day, “Today at Arapahoe Park” will replay that day’s races at 10 p.m., with a repeat showing the next morning at 10 a.m.
“I see it as we’re getting our message in front of the mainstream sports fans, and I think that’s big for horse racing,” Horowitz said. “I think most tracks are rather specialized with their message. We’re trying to reach a wider sports fan group, and doing it in Denver, a pretty big market to try and do it in.”
— Major stakes races in thoroughbred, Arabian and quarter horse categories — a total of 38 stakes races on 39 race days.
— Continuation of a unique program for the sport, where winners not on any race-day medication earn a $1,000 bonus paid by the track. Colorado allows horses to be on lasix, phenylbutazone, flunixin and ketoprofen, so this goes beyond that.
— Tying purse size to size of fields, reducing or adding to purses depending on the number of entries.
— Eliminating eligibility conditions for $5,000 claiming races.
“More than any other year I’ve been there, the focus has been really on the races and there’s been more happening before the season to generate buzz,” Horowitz said.
Terry Frei: tfrei@denverpost.com or twitter.com/TFrei
