Gabe Prewitt, Vice-President of Racing at Lexington’s Red Mile, has announced that Emily Gaskin has been named Director of Sponsorships for the track and Scott Freeman has been appointed Track Superintendent.
Gaskin graduated from the University of Kentucky with her degree in agricultural communication and comes from a family long associated with harness racing.
“Emily is a multi-talented addition to our roster whose experience in marketing and promotions along with her journalistic skills are lauded throughout the industry and we are fortunate to have her skills here at The Red Mile," said Prewitt.
In accepting her new role, Gaskin said, “It is truly an honour to become a part of The Red Mile team. This is an iconic racetrack with 150 years of history and home to many of harness racing’s greatest moments and it will fulfill a dream to witness and participate in its future.”
Gaskin announced in January that she was stepping away from her position as Race Marketing Manager and Commentator at Harrah's Hoosier Park.
"I will still be at Hoosier Park on an as needed basis — filling in when they need me, assisting with big projects and stakes nights," Gaskin told Trot Insider. "This position at The Red Mile will allow me more flexibility to be at home with my kids — which is very important to me — and I can be at The Red Mile as needed."
Charles "Scott" Freeman, a Michigan native with a history going back four decades in the sport, has experience on all shapes, sizes and track surfaces, most recently, as the Track Superintendent at Pinehurst Trotting Center in North Carolina.
“Scott is one of the most important people at any racetrack and we are very fortunate to have his services and expertise for our upcoming meeting," said Prewitt.
About his new position, Freeman said, “This is a position that I do not take lightly. The paramount responsibility is to make a racing surface safe and secure and, with the weather so changeable these days, it’s a 24-hour-a-day commitment.
“You know the tracks here -- the great mile oval and the training track -- have different needs to keep them up-to-snuff as their iconic clay oval can change in a heartbeat as fast as the weather while the training oval has needs of its own as their surfaces are different. I’m looking forward to the challenge. After all, The Red Mile is where the ‘kings and queens’ come to play!”
Freeman joins Grand Circuit longstanding track masters Greg and Dan Coon.
The Red Mile meeting gets underway on July 21 and continues through Grand Circuit week in early October.
(With files from The Red Mile)