PRIMER
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Information central to Emerald's innovations
By Dan Raley
But the track will try to impress its clientele with innovation as well as intensity with its various electronic offerings, which will eventually include an elaborate video-cassette library of races. For those unwilling to rely solely on the racing form or hunches in placing wagers, horse players at Emerald Downs will be able to pick up one of six courtesy phones at two locations in the grandstands and request to see a past race of a thoroughbred held at Emerald Downs or another track. Almost immediately, the race will pop up on a screen for perusal. Video pickings elsewhere will include races held in the past year at California tracks Golden Gate Fields, Hollywood Park and Santa Anita Park, Hastings Park near Vancouver, B.C., and Yakima Meadows. However, track officials say the video library won't be available for the first few days of racing because of glitches in telephone installation. "What we've done is we've looked at the horses that are going to be here and where they've been running and what our fans are going to be looking for," said Ben Cambra, Emerald Downs vice president in charge of marketing. "We'll have the ones that people want to see." Previously, Longacres offered a similar service, but there was only one viewing location and the tape-finding process was slow. Emerald Downs' video library will have footage of past performances of several contenders entered in major races, such as the Breeders Cup, which will be simulcast to Emerald Downs. Inexperienced horse players also can call for self-help videos to guide them through wagering dilemmas. "The key to the whole thing is information, providing as much information as possible to the consumer," Cambra said. "We wanted to take the next step and go into the learning process." Emerald Downs spent $2 million on electronic equipment, most of which is housed in a first-level room in the grandstands. As an added touch, track president Ron Crockett said a thoroughbred owner will be brought to the video command center to view the race he or she just won. Within 15 minutes, a taped copy of the race will be prepared and handed to the owner, free of charge.
© 1996 Seattle Post-Intelligencer The Hearst Corporation All Rights Reserved
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merald Downs promises to be plugged into the racing fan's every need. With 567
television monitors positioned throughout the new complex in Auburn, that's not
such a farfetched claim.