David Siegel, who since 1996 has served as president and chief executive officer of TrackMaster (an Equibase Company) and was instrumental in the company’s development of a comprehensive line of Thoroughbred and Harness handicapping products, will retire at the end of the year.
The announcement was made today by Jason Wilson, president of Equibase, and Ian Highet, chairman of the Equibase Management Committee. Siegel will be retained as a consultant for 2021.
“Whether under the TrackMaster or Equibase brand, a wide variety of products and services have been introduced for the betterment of racing, and Dave has played a key role in the creation of nearly all of them,” Wilson said. “He has most recently been integral in the expansion of our automated tracking strategies, and his overall contributions have been invaluable. His daily presence will be sorely missed.”
“We are very grateful for Dave’s contributions in both Harness and Thoroughbred racing, and we are grateful that we will be able to continue working together, albeit on a reduced scale, for a while longer,” Highet said.
Siegel graduated Union College (Schenectady, N.Y.) summa cum laude with a degree in economics and mathematics and received his MBA from Stanford. He joined TrackMaster as vice president of marketing in 1993, the same year the company launched its service as the first electronic distributor of handicapping products using Equibase data. Siegel was named president of TrackMaster in 1996, and the company was acquired by Equibase four years later.
Under Siegel’s leadership, TrackMaster has had an exclusive handicapping data agreement with the United States Trotting Association (USTA). He also managed the company’s transition from a proprietary device-centric sports provider to an internet-based enhanced-data provider. Siegel was also integral to the development of the Equibase Speed Figure; TrackMaster Speed, Class and Power Ratings; the automated morning line used in more than 50 percent of Standardbred programs; and most recently Horse Ratings, a device used for more efficient and fair classification of harness horses.
“Dave has truly been an innovator with respect to the creation of the automated morning lines and Horse Ratings, which have been important for some racetracks to use in writing innovative condition sheets,” said USTA Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer Mike Tanner. “The partnership between the USTA and TrackMaster has been a win-win for both organizations, and that is a credit to Dave. His leadership will be missed, but we are happy that he’ll stay with us as a USTA director.”
(Equibase)