If you've dealt with the Woodbine Entertainment Group race office or Ontario Racing Commission judges over the past couple of years, chances are you know
Brett Revington. Having recently taken on a new role with Western Fair Raceway, Revington has told Trot Insider of a couple of new initiatives that have been introduced at the London, Ont. oval.
On October 1, Revington joined the Western Fair organization as Assistant Raceway Manager. He was a fixture as Stakes Manager in the WEG circuit race offices until March of 2007, at which time he changed gears and joined the Ontario Racing Commission in a judging capacity.
In terms of some of the new initiatives at Western Fair, Revington told Trot Insider that patrons of Coyote Jack's Bar & Grill -- located in the adjacent sports arena -- are going to have the ability to watch and wager on Western Fair's live dashes four times a week.
"The wiring was already in place, so we have decided to run a live feed of the races into the bar in hopes of introducing our product to a new customer base," Revington, 36, told Trot Insider. "There will be a teller there to take wagers on Monday and Tuesday afternoons and Friday and Saturday nights."
Revington told Trot Insider that within a tough economic market, the last thing that operators should be doing is staying with the status quo. He said that simulcasting into the restaurant will take a "feeling out" process, but that Western Fair is willing to invest some time to give the venture the best possibility for success.
"We're hoping it (the racing product) will cross over," Revington explained. "It is a similar idea to what [the Woodbine Entertainment Group] did with WEGZ, but obviously to a much smaller scale."
In terms of on-track initiatives, Revington told Trot Insider that on Mondays and Tuesdays Western Fair is airing a four to five-minute prelude show where announcer Peter Kyte interviews a racing personality, mainly drivers, on their assignments for the upcoming card.
"Peter and I both wanted to do something in terms of a handicapping show," Revington said. "Right now, Peter is going to interview drivers before the show and get them to discuss some of their drives on the upcoming card. It's something that we are hoping to be able to expand to trainers and owners, as well."
Revington told Trot Insider that WEG's Horseplayer Interactive Television is picking up the prelude show right from the get-go, beginning at around 3:15 or 3:20 p.m.
"Last week, driver Mike Sumner took some time and discussed his drivers with Peter," Revington said. "He went on to win three that day. It (the show) is just something that gives the fans a little more insight as to what is going on at the races that day. We hope that it is something that will go over well with our customers."
On today's edition of Western Fair Today, driver Jody Jamieson will talk about his quest for 740 wins and the North American dash title, and much more.
The show is scheduled to kick off at 3:20 p.m. and live video streaming is available at westernfair.com.
Feedback on the show or future requests can be sent to [email protected] or [email protected].