In this day-and-age of legalized sports wagering throughout most of North America, like it or not, we’re now in competition for the gambling dollar with major sports like the NFL, NBA, NHL & MLB. Their on-air broadcasts, starring people like Joe Buck and Jim Nantz are some of the best in the world, and we need to try to keep pace, in order to keep our customers both entertained and informed. We asked six of harness racing’s best on-air personalities, from both Canada and the U.S., to answer a series of questions in this area, and here we share their insight. Compiled by Dan Fisher

In our October, 2024 issue, the title of The View, written by Dan Fisher, was: Is The Goal Not To Entertain? Fisher opined, in his monthly column, that since horseracing is now battling professional sports for the legal gambling dollar, that our in-house broadcasting shows need change, to incorporate more blunt thoughts and less fluff, through things like post-race interviews with losing favourites and more brutal honesty from everyone involved. He reasoned that if we’re now competing with the likes of Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Joe Buck, that it was also time to concentrate on entertaining our viewers a bit more. The feedback the column received was overwhelming, and 100% of it was supportive of the content. So now, six months later, in our annual Horseplayer’s Issue, we decided to ask six of Standardbred racing’s leading on-air personalities what they thought on a variety of related topics. We thank them sincerely for their participation, and share with you here, what the following people told us.

GREG BLANCHARD | Western Fair Raceway  • DAVE LITTLE | The Meadowlands

KEN MIDDLETON | Woodbine Mohawk Park • JESSICA OTTEN | The Meadowlands/Fox Sports

GABE PREWITT | Hoosier Park/Fox Sports • JOHN RALLIS | TROT Magazine/Freelancer

 

Q. What do you consider to be the most important components of a good broadcast?

Greg Blanchard: I think there’s a difference between a simulcast show and a network show in how you present things. I’ve always looked at a network show as more entertainment based, showcasing the colour and excitement of the sport along with the horses and people who compete. A typical simulcast show is more about providing timely and relevant information to the horseplayers.

Dave Little: There are several, but none as important as chemistry between the host and co-host. Dave Brower and I worked well together because we were friends first, then became broadcast partners… When Dave passed away, I didn’t know Jessica Otten’s strengths and weaknesses. I’m a man in my 60s and she’s a woman in her 20s, so not much common ground there - but we have slowly but surely chipped away… and have developed chemistry… We want the other to look good, and we are continuing to improve in that pursuit. She’s a horsewoman, which is about as different as it gets from a newspaperman, so every opportunity I get, I ask her something somebody with her background would know, because one thing is for sure: I do NOT know! And we have fun with it. People forget - this is supposed to be fun!

Ken Middleton: First and foremost, the way the race itself is filmed and presented. More and more tracks try to get a little too cute in the footage which airs during a race. Close ups, gate cams… or a Hodgepodge of different shots all being shown at the same time during a race are some of the realities that have to drive gamblers crazy. These ‘glamour shots’ - especially the ones being presented at the start of a race - really limit what customers can see at such a critical juncture in the betting cycle. Personally, I want to see the whole field from the time the gate starts rolling until the time it lets the horses go. I want to see if a horse is acting up or off stride… The most money wagered in any betting cycle is the money wagered in the final 30 seconds before the start of a race, so let bettors see every single horse and what they are doing, instead of forcing them to look through the peephole of a hotel door and only showing one or two horses from some obscure angle. A good broadcast also consists of credible, well-prepared on-air personalities. If you sit down in front of the camera without being prepared, you’re going to get exposed in a hurry. There are far too many sets of eyes hanging on every word that comes out of your mouth to be unprepared. Personally, I yearn for substance - not fluff - from the on-air personalities. Be wary of talking above your pay grade. The behind-the-scenes people in the control room also play an enormous role in sending out a great broadcast. These crews pump out a lot of information throughout the course of a card and it’s vital that they provide it accurately and in a timely manner... There are a lot of bright minds working in those rooms to enhance race card broadcasts. 

Jessica Otten: Quality information, preparation and having fun. You can tell when you are watching a broadcast (of any sort) and the people that are talking aren’t prepared. I also think you have to incorporate a little fun on your broadcast and have good banter/chemistry with the person you are sitting next to. It makes it more enjoyable to watch.

John Rallis: Preparation and having good chemistry with your co-hosts are two essential components. You can’t do your job at a high level if you aren’t prepared, period. You have to be meticulous when it comes to the attention to detail when covering this sport… From watching replays, to qualifiers and baby races, there’s so much to unpack, and you can only gather certain things if you take the time to put in the work. Watching two people on-set with great chemistry makes any broadcast 100x better too. When I was really starting to get into racing, I started watching Chad Rozema and Jason Portuondo - not only were they insightful, but their chemistry was impeccable.

Q. In assessing the horses in any given race, do you feel that you can’t always be 100% truthful in regard to a horse you feel has little chance? If not, why?

Greg Blanchard: I have never felt that way. It’s just the nature of the business and there are always races where you realize certain horses have little to no chance of winning. However, in my opinion there are ways to communicate that without demeaning the horse or its connections. 

Jessica Otten: Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. There is a polite way to say you don’t like the horse. You can’t just agree with someone because you don’t want to hurt someone else’s feelings. You can simply say “Not for me, I’m passing” or something along those lines. Realistically we are paid to have an opinion and have our own angles on how we handicap races.

Gabe Prewitt: Yes, I do. That said, I am always cognizant of the fact that the connections of any horse have spent an immeasurable amount of time/money/effort to put any horse on the track and behind the gate. I try to always be respectful but realistic at the same time.

John Rallis: I definitely feel like I have to be cognizant of what I say on-air in this regard. I’ll never take personal shots at people, or horses, because simply put, that’s just wrong. However, my job is to assess and analyze each race, and sometimes that means downplaying not only a horse’s chances of winning, but how I view them from a value standpoint based on what the toteboard indicates. So, yes, sometimes I feel like my hands can be tied in terms of what I can say, but I try to express my opinions respectfully; I’m not afraid to be wrong.   

Q. How do you separate possible friendships from doing your job when you’re analyzing a horse on-air or interviewing somebody? Do you feel that your hands are tied to a degree in this industry as a result of those relationships?

Greg Blanchard: Naturally you develop friendships and a rapport with people in the industry over time, but I’ve never felt like that tied my hands in any way. Participants have to realize that on-air hosts are doing a job and part of that is to analyze performance and give opinions. It’s not a personal thing, it’s simply a professional opinion. 

Dave Little: For me, there is never any need to do either one. I have friendly relationships with just about every driver and trainer out there, but they fall short - with very few exceptions - of friendships. Have I had a drink with drivers, trainers and owners after an event? Yes. But does that tie my hands? No.

Ken Middleton: I guess some people would find that difficult, but I never found it to be problematic. We all have jobs to do: Drivers drive, trainers train and handicappers handicap. If you’re paid to be an on-air personality or an interviewer, then you need to ask yourself who you’re trying to appeal to. Even though we work for the racetrack, we all need to realize we’re also working for the customer, so when I was analyzing a race, I did my best to share insight and opinion geared toward helping the customers.    

Jessica Otten: There’s work life and then there’s personal life. I haven’t run into a situation yet where that can’t be separated. We’re all professionals.    

Gabe Prewitt: I have always been perfectly okay providing my opinion one way or the other.  Wally Hennessey is one of my greatest friends, and he would always watch the Pompano pre-game show; he lived for the moments when I would toss him ‘off the ticket’ so he could ruin my selections. I can’t tell you how many races he won where he would come underneath my perch in the grandstand and yell up, “How about that Gaber!” when he knew he had got me. I feel like most people realize it’s your opinion and not that big of a deal, although I will say I have met some other connections that have enjoyed pointing out how wrong I was in races they won.      

John Rallis: I have had the luxury of developing personal relationships with a handful of people involved. Sometimes it can be tricky in terms of what I feel like is worth asking in an interview… but I tend to remind them that nothing I say is personal… In reality, sometimes there are questions that just need to be asked.

Q. In saying that, have you ever had an encounter with an irritated participant as a result of something you said on-air? Can you elaborate? (You don’t need to use a specific name if you’d rather not).

Greg Blanchard: I’ve been called out many times in-person and online, sometimes justified and sometimes not. But, you have to realize that’s the nature of a job like this, where you are offering your opinion and there will be a lot of times when people disagree. As long as it doesn’t get too personal or derogatory then it’s all fair game. I do recall a time when my colleagues drew the ire of a well-known participant who was upset at them for calling him out for an unaggressive drive in an elimination race. That got pretty heated and I understood both sides… in my opinion my colleagues certainly weren’t out-of-line in pointing out the obvious, while the participant was upset because he thought his good reputation was being questioned. That happens from time-to-time but cooler heads often prevail once the dust settles.

Ken Middleton: I think it’s safe to say we’ve all encountered those types of situations. We all take pride in what we do, and when someone questions us on our decision making we naturally take offense to it. Whether you’re… Dexter Dunn, James MacDonald, Anthony Beaton or Ron Burke, there are always going to be tough questions that beg to be asked regarding their decision making. I’ve had owners, trainers, drivers and even some grooms become agitated or upset with things I’ve said, but at the end of day I’d like to think everything worked itself out over time.

Jessica Otten: Not directly that I can recall. I have had friends message me saying, “You picked my horse again?!” Like I’m a jinx (LOL). Or they’ll say, “My horse will be better this week, I can’t believe you didn’t pick me.” But I feel like it’s in a joking manner… Now, the people who like to hide behind the [computer] screens and fake names… That’s a whole different story (LOL).

Gabe Prewitt: Yes I have… I think the connections in any race take it very seriously, so if we discount their chances, they love to prove the ‘on-air’ people wrong. I’m wrong a lot more than I am right though, so I give them plenty of opportunities. 

John Rallis: I worked the Breeders Crown eliminations at The Meadowlands and… Dave Little asked me about Grace Hill’s chances of winning. I stated that ‘She isn’t at Twin B Joe Fresh’s level right now’. I didn’t feel like anything I said was particularly wrong, but to Grace Hill’s credit, she ended up pulling off the upset. Her trainer, Virgil Morgan Jr., was definitely fired-up after hearing the comments I had made… As I was gearing up for the post-race interview, Virgil didn’t fail to remind me about what I said just moments prior (laughing), but as professionals, we still conducted the interview without issue. I did feel a little bad about it afterwards, because I’m aware that people have feelings and a sense of pride for what they do; I’m just the type of person who likes to take a stance. Again, nothing I ever say is out of spite… We’re paid to give an opinion, so that’s what I’m going to do.

Q. If the drivers were on-board, do you think that post-race interviews with someone other than the winner (a beaten favourite perhaps) would make horse racing broadcasts more interesting? Why? 

Dave Little: Without a doubt yes, and we at The Meadowlands have done it, and probably should do it more often. A couple of months ago we had someone out sick, and my boss, Jason Settlemoir, was our interviewer that night. He did two or three interviews with drivers who had gone down with favorites. It’s good to have accountability. I think the public wants to know what happened out there.

Ken Middleton: If the questions pertained to the driver’s decision making during the race and what led to that decision, then I would say ‘yes’. A question like, “Why did you opt to sit in with the 3/5 favourite at the half as opposed to coming first over at that point?” is a question I would consider to be a valid question to ask. However, when a 3/5 favourite just races poorly and you ask the driver, “Why did the horse race poorly?” there’s a good chance he/she hasn’t the faintest idea as to why. You’re just setting yourself up for failure. But it’s a hell of a question to ask the trainer in a pre-race interview prior to the horse’s next start. There are plenty of questions that can’t readily be answered until some exploratory research has been done, but afterwards, those answers would certainly be great information for the customer to know.

Jessica Otten: In my opinion… it would have to be taken case-by-case. I think that is the horseman part of me. It’s a horse race for a reason. That being said, I think the following week in a pre-race interview, PRIOR to the wagering, would be the best time to ask “Why did you sit in with that horse? If a horse gets a good trip/drive and comes up no good… as interviewers, are we supposed to ask, “What happened?” If the driver says, “I don’t know, he was just no good,“ that’s useless to me. I will say though, when I was in Australia, in the back of the program they gave notes on horses who were in the week prior. There were things such as, if the horse was scoped, had blood taken, was hitting the racebike, a driver infraction, any sort of information like that.

Gabe Prewitt: I believe so, yes. Other than giving them their ‘one shining moment’ there really isn’t a lot interesting about interviewing winners after a race to viewers/gamblers. There are countless times after a race, though, where horseplayers are wondering what went wrong. These types of interviews would make things interesting.

John Rallis: It would definitely make things more interesting, because it’s something we’re not accustomed to seeing on racing broadcasts. I think if drivers were open and willing to do it, we’d just have to be sure to use some sort of common sense when incorporating something like that.  

Q. With that in mind, do you think drivers and trainers, like professional athletes and coaches, should be obligated to do post-race interviews when asked? Please explain.

Dave Little: Without question. They are the show. Not me. Not my co-host. It’s about them and how they navigate the challenges that come their way on a given night. They are racing in the spotlight at The Meadowlands. There is a great deal of interest. They have to be willing to do post-race interviews, and with very few exceptions, they do.

Ken Middleton: I don’t think they should have to do them, but at the same time I don’t understand why they’d shy away from doing them. In my opinion, most [current] post-race interviews [with the winner] are simply congratulatory moments sprinkled with some reaction as to how the race unfolded.

Jessica Otten: Yes. 1) People constantly complain about dead air. 2) Everyone should want to help better our sport, and if that’s doing an interview, then do it.

Gabe Prewitt: I honestly do. We need to be as transparent as possible. I have great respect for horsemen that are always willing to jump on and answer a few questions.  

John Rallis: Absolutely, but I think we would only do so if there’s a legitimate question that needs to be asked, pertaining to either their decision-making or a horse’s performance. I think that would allow people to understand things a little more. Finding out a reason why a horse performed the way they did, or why a driver made a certain decision, might help everyone watching develop a better understanding.

Q. What’s the most frustrating part of your job?

Dave Little: When I’m on-set doing a segment, and during the stretch run of a simulcasted race, the roar of the crowd gets to the point where I cannot hear what Jessica is saying. (Our set is right there). BUT… There is also a lot of energy with those fans so close!  

Ken Middleton: The most obvious answer is living with post time drag. It affects everyone - racetrack management, its employees, the horsepeople and our customers. It’s a major buzz-kill. But when I sat back and really thought about this question, I can honestly say the most frustrating part of my job is watching so many people care so much about the sport, only to watch it fail on so many levels.    

Jessica Otten: When some technology goes wrong. I know there isn’t a lot you can do, or even know when it’s going to screw up, but it’s frustrating when you’re on live TV and you have to miss a segment or interview when something exciting happens. 

John Rallis: Being labeled a ‘jinx’ if a trainer’s horse gets beat or performs poorly after a pre-race paddock interview I’ve conducted with them that day. I know people are superstitious, but there are times, as paddock interviewers, where it limits us in doing our job to the best of our ability because of it. 

Q. What’s your favourite part of your job?

Greg Blanchard: That’s easy, and it’s never changed for me: I just love the horses, whether it’s a consistent old claimer or a world champion. I still get a rush being trackside and watching them in person. So, being able to cover these equine athletes and help tell their story to fans around the world, is still something that I really enjoy.

Dave Little: Having people tell me they like what we’re doing. It would be nice to pick seven winners at The Meadowlands every night, but that’s not reality. Truthfully, I don’t know if that matters. Sure, we can give out winners, but I’d rather teach the people watching how we come to conclusions, so that they might make the same determination down the road. 

Ken Middleton: I love summertime, when the babies hit the track for qualifiers and then start racing. It’s without a doubt the most exciting time of the year for me.

Jessica Otten: Getting to tell the stories behind the scenes. Everyone sees the horses and drivers, but I like telling the stories of the grooms or owners, even the breeders. Every horse has a story and I love getting to tell that story. I would also say that I love getting to capture the happy moments. A lot of work goes in behind these equine athletes, and there’s a lot of heartbreak along the way as well. As someone who has experienced it first-hand, I just can’t help but smile when I see the hard work come full-circle on the track. 

Gabe Prewitt: Getting the opportunity to travel to a lot of places on their biggest days, and meeting the horsemen and horseplayers. My absolute favourite part is when someone comes up with an obscure race they bet at Pompano, The Red Mile, etc. where they made a nice score, and then remind me of the details of the race I called.

John Rallis: I love being a part of the big race days during the Grand Circuit season, and being a freelancer gives me that opportunity. Between working the big stakes nights at Mohawk, The Hambletonian at The Meadowlands and the Kentucky Futurity at The Red Mile… It’s surreal that I get to call this work. 

Q. Tell us about your most memorable moment working in broadcasting.

Greg Blanchard: Specifically, on the broadcast side, I would have to say that getting to join the CBS broadcast team on the 2018 Hambletonian show is a memory that really stands out. It was an opportunity to work with a long time idol of mine, Gary Seibel, as well as with Dave Brower, on the sport’s biggest stage. And the great filly Atlanta beating the boys was the storybook ending.

Dave Little: Every time I think about a special moment, my memory always takes me back to Rod Allen. He had C R Kay Suzie, the great filly who was supposed to beat the boys in the 1995 Hambletonian. It was a typical hot-as-hell day, and I was interviewing Rod before the initial heat. I felt so bad for him. He was so sick. I remember thinking I couldn’t believe he made it to the track, but he was more than willing to go on with me. I was so new to live television, so that interview really stuck with me, because I was nervous and I knew Rod was ill. Wow! That was 30 years ago!

Ken Middleton: The one that stands out to this day was covering the pre and post-race interviews at Woodbine for the 1998 North America Cup. I was still working at Flamboro Downs at the time, but I was permitted to lend a hand in covering for Woodbine when they were short one broadcaster. I had the chance to interview the likes of John Campbell, Michel Lachance and Ron Pierce that day. It’s an afternoon that I’ll never forget.

Jessica Otten: I’m not sure I could pinpoint it down to one moment, so I would say any time that I have gotten to cover the races on Fox Sports. I have loved harness racing for as long as I can remember, and never in a million years did I expect to be where I’m at today. I feel very privileged to be able to cover our sport on a national level. I guess to piggyback off of that - it was pretty awesome to travel to Brisbane this year and cover the inaugural Ultimate Driver Championship. It was an amazing experience. I learned a lot and met so many great people.

Gabe Prewitt: I would have to say any moment I was afforded to work with Dave Brower. We did replay shows together, multiple live national TV shows, and of course many Big M telecasts. He was like my brother, and I miss him tremendously.

John Rallis: Getting a chance to work my first-ever Hambletonian. I haven’t been doing this for very long, so for the team at The Meadowlands to ask me to be a part of that day was incredible. The buzz leading up to it was something I couldn’t even describe, and getting to work on-set with Dave Little for that entire card was an experience I’ll never forget. That day was incredible. 

Q. Was there a really embarrassing moment or truly funny thing that happened in an interview that stands out to you? 

Greg Blanchard: Lots of small embarrassing moments but fortunately nothing too extreme. I would say that one of my most memorable ‘funny’ moments was a winner’s circle interview with Ron Pierce where he paused mid-answer to ask me if I “just saw that skunk that ran behind the tote board?” He was always enjoyable because you never knew what he was going to come up with.

Dave Little: I’m interviewing Yannick Gingras in the winner’s circle after he drove the winner of a stakes race, and in the middle of it I mistakenly hit the button that releases the microphone from the wire it’s connected to. So, it’s me, Yannick, and a dead microphone. I had to ask Yannick to hold the mic, so he’s holding it with a wry smile as I bend down and pick the wire up. I reconnected the wire and the mic and Yannick and I resumed right where we left off. I love live television!

Ken Middleton: Well, my now-colleague, Randy Waples, almost got me fired the night I interviewed him at Woodbine after he’d won a race on The Score broadcast. During the interview he asked if he could give a shout out to “someone” and I said “Sure.” Little did I know that person was “Alotta Fagina”. He nearly had both of us painting fences (laughing).

Gabe Prewitt: Oh boy, I have a really bad one. I won’t get into details, but when I first started on-air at The Red Mile I essentially asked Ron Pierce about a horse that George Brennan drove  .

John Rallis: I once blanked-out as I was conducting a post-race interview and forgot the horse’s name who had just won the race. It was a very embarrassing moment, and Trevor Henry [the winning driver] made sure to let me hear about it all the way back to the paddock. It’s funny to look back on now (laughing).

Q. What was the best or most exciting race that you ever covered? Please elaborate.

Greg Blanchard: Definitely the 2008 Pepsi N.A. Cup won by Somebeachsomewhere. There were some question marks after he was scratched from his scheduled sophomore debut, so he had just one race under his belt prior to the elims. But after winning his split in dominant fashion, the anticipation had built to a fever pitch the night of the final, and a massive crowd came to Mohawk to witness greatness. The excitement before the race was palpable, and I’ll never forget the roar of the crowd when he came down that long stretch. It was deafening, and still sends chills down my spine today.

Dave Little: As a newspaperman, I’d say Muscle Hill’s Hambletonian. It’s not too often that the greatest of all-time comes along. As a TV guy, the electricity volume was turned up to 11 when Bulldog Hanover went 1:45.4. It’s difficult to articulate what I felt as that horse neared the wire… it was truly and completely thrilling.

Ken Middleton: For personal reasons I have to go with Bob Loblaw’s win in the OSS Super Final in his two-year-old season. It was literally - and figuratively - the most heart-pounding finish I ever had the privilege of announcing. Add in the fact that he was a homebred that I co-owned and trained, and it quickly becomes a Hollywood masterpiece. Things looked bleak going into the race because he’d tailed off so badly late in the season, but it turned out to be a blockbuster finish - one that my partners and I will never EVER forget.

Jessica Otten: It was pretty exciting to cover and witness the fastest mile ever by a Standardbred… the story behind Bulldog Hanover… Another one would be Louprint winning the Breeders Crown in 2024 at the Meadowlands. He was the beaten favourite in his elimination and drew the outside post in the final. That being said, I’ve known Ronnie Wrenn my whole life and our families have been very good friends for as long as I can remember. So watching him drive horses at the fairs in Michigan, then moving to Ohio and being a leading driver at the Meadows and Northfield for the last several years, to then being in the winner’s circle at the Meadowlands for a Breeders Crown win was pretty cool. Getting to cover it on Fox was special too… Just two kids from Michigan on the biggest stage in harness racing was kind of surreal I guess you could say.  

Gabe Prewitt: I will never forget the last race I ever did colour for at The Red Mile; it was with Sam McKee, and that was when Always B Miki won in 1:46. His call was incredible and I was in-awe when catching up with the connections. Truly a historic moment.

John Rallis: Without a doubt it was covering the 2024 Hambletonian. There were a few interesting storylines heading into that race; from Yannick Gingras looking to capture that event for the first time - which he ended up doing - to watching a Canadian hopeful, Highland Kismet, climb up the ranks as a legitimate contender, and finishing second. It was a competitive group and the race lived up to expectations. 

Q. In a perfect world what are a few things that you’d like to add or subtract from your broadcast to make it better?

Greg Blanchard: We should always be looking at ways to incorporate new technology into our broadcasts that offer better coverage, access to information and interaction with our customers. For example, I would like to see ‘live money’ contests happening during race programs with horseplayers going head-to-head and the ability for hosts to interact and provide updates in real time… that type of thing.

Ken Middleton: I really think racing has dropped the ball on the manner in which inquiries are handled. The inquiry sign is posted, the judges begin reviewing replays and speaking to drivers involved in the incident and the betting public is left in the dark for far too long… Can you imagine watching an NHL hockey game and being forced to watch a graphic that says ‘Play under review’ in complete silence, instead of immediately being shown replays from six different angles to identify whether or not the puck crossed the goal line and having the colour commentary person and the analyst discussing it? That’s how every major sport does it.  Furthermore, when the decision is finally made, it isn’t even the judges explaining their decision. It is quite often just a… mention from the announcer. Hell, if you want to really knock it out of the park, make the phone conversation between the judges and the drivers available, so the viewing public can be privy to it… We’re the only professional sport where the officials speak to the participants before making a ruling. What’s the harm in sharing the details of that conversation? Why keep the guy/gal who bet their $100 in the dark? Let your on-air commentators chime in with their thoughts while showing the inquiry footage similar to the way Joe Buck and Troy Aikman converse over footage of a possible penalty in a NFL tilt, and then when the verdict is in, have one of the officials give a thorough explanation about… their decision. Other things like more pre-race interviews to dig up information leading up to a race… In the world of multi-leg wagers, even a pre-race interview before the fourth race on a horse that raced poorly in its previous outing doesn’t do an ounce of good to the customer that spent $500 on their Pick-6 ticket which started in the second race. Maybe we need to invest more time reaching out to people prior to race cards… In a perfect world, I’d love to see more warm-ups shown to customers too. Most days about 99% of the handle… is generated away from the host track, and the only people that have the opportunity to see horses warming up are the live audience. Maybe you scrap showing the replay of the race that went postward five minutes earlier and dedicate that time to show the warm-ups for horses that will be racing later on the card. Replays are readily available on most betting platforms anyway… Do we really need to see them on the simulcast feed? 

Jessica Otten: I wish we were located closer to the horsemen, at the Big M we are so far away from everyone. In Australia and at Mohawk, I think, they are also able to talk to the drivers during the post parade, I think that is pretty cool. And in Aussie, since the way they go to the gate is a little different than it is here, the gal doing interviews was literally able to talk to the drivers as they were going to the gate. It’s something I’m working on… trying to incorporate it with the Fox shows.

Gabe Prewitt: I am always looking to speak to the gambler; anything we could add to help him/her is always first and foremost to me. 

John Rallis: I definitely think we need to find more ways to try and pass on information… to try and extract tidbits from our participants. There’s nothing worse than finding something valuable out in a post-race interview, after the fact, when that’s something we could’ve done as a broadcast to relay said information beforehand… I’m not sure what the perfect solution is, but we can probably always do a little more in that regard.

Q. Any final thoughts?

Dave Little: I’m in my eighth year in this tour of Big M TV duty - after a five-year stint in the late 90s. My dream was to be a public handicapper who would, occasionally, do some TV spots. I had that during Tour I. Now that the newspaper industry is dead - especially from a covering horse racing point of view - I’ve managed for the second time in my life to land my dream job. I love going to work. I’ll see you all Friday night

Ken Middleton: What I’d love to see in future editions of TROT is feedback and some follow-up dialogue stemming from the topics that have been covered in this exercise. I don’t profess to have all the answers, but I do have ideas. Throwing out ideas gets the ball rolling on improving or tweaking the way things are presented to our customers.  

John Rallis: I absolutely love this sport; it’s why I cover it. I’ve been very fortunate to work with so many talented people in my young broadcasting career - they’ve all shown a great deal of patience with me from day one, and all have been instrumental in my growth. It’s not easy starting out as a broadcaster with zero TV experience, coupled with the fact that I don’t have a background as a horseman, but every single person, including the drivers and trainers, have been super-accommodating in helping me become more acclimated with the sport. 

 This feature originally appeared in the April issue of TROT Magazine. Subscribe to TROT today by clicking the banner below.