The task force assembled by Meadowlands general manager Jason Settlemoir beginning on April 9 came to a conclusion with Thursday's (May 27) conference call. It proved to be an interesting and fruitful exchange between those who race the horses and those who bet on them.
The horseplayers on the panel had opinions on the angles and scope of the various shots on the simulcast signal that were addressed to their satisfaction. They also had several productive exchanges with the drivers on the nuance of racing that answered a few of their questions on tactics.
Settlemoir had these remarks:
"This was a good thing. Some of our most knowledgeable customers had access to a few drivers where they could pose a question and get the answer right from 'the horse's mouth.' The calls were taken seriously by all of the participants, and I think maybe we all gained a little knowledge.
"We have added important information on the wind velocity and direction and how that affects the races to the program and the simulcast feed. We are producing short informative videos with drivers addressing several topics that we take for granted but may be useful to a new fan. Those will begin to roll out this weekend.
"I appreciate the time and effort spent by all on the task force. We will take time to digest and observe and, if necessary, it is certainly something I'd certainly consider revisiting at a later date."
(Meadowlands)