The horse racing industry’s first national, interactive online fan education
forum will begin on Monday with the debut of “Night School.” Pioneered and
developed by Horse Player NOW, Night School will be syndicated and implemented
into racetrack and organization websites throughout the industry, including
www.fairgroundsracecourse.com, providing a professional, consistent and
unified outlet for fan education.
Co-hosted by Horseplayernow.com owners Jeremy Plonk and Joe Kristufek, the
weekly Night School lessons are offered free to any racing fan who wants to
learn more about the game and will include both novice and advance-level fan
education.
The 40-week season runs through December 19 with 90-minute sessions taking
place from 7:30-9 p.m. (CT) each week. Other regular panelists will include Fair
Grounds analyst Katie Mikolay, Horse Player NOW’s Caton Bredar and Churchill
Downs analyst Jill Byrne. Topical experts will be brought in weekly to share
their expertise.
The classes will include a 60-minute topical discussion, complete with an
introduction video and downloadable lesson overview, and a 30-minute open forum
where racing fans can ask the panel of experts anything and everything
racing. Each of the 40 weeks’ lessons will be archived, creating an educational
library of sorts, through the wildly popular Cover It Live live-blogging
technology used by many of the world’s leading news agencies.
The easiest way to access Night School from Fair Grounds’ website is to visit
the homepage Mondays at 7:30 p.m. and click on the Night School ad in the Top
Stories.
Topics for all 40 Night School sessions have been established and will be
released as the season unfolds. The first five topics are listed below along
with the dates they will be discussed. While many of the subjects are aimed
directly at horseplayers, other scheduled topics include ownership, racehorse
retirement, behind-the-scenes looks at various racetrack jobs and more.
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FIRST 5 TOPICS |
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February 21 |
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21st Century Handicapping |
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February 28 |
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Class Handicapping |
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March 7 |
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Pace Handicapping |
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March 14 |
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Trip Handicapping |
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March 21 |
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Track Bias |
“Jeremy and I are both extremely passionate about education, and we relish
the opportunity to interact with, and teach, horse racing fans at all levels,”
Kristufek said. “With knowledge comes interest. Horse racing is a fascinating
game, and the more you know about it from every angle, the more captivating it
becomes. A successful future for horse racing is predicated upon growing the fan
base, and that’s what Night School is all about.”
Fair Grounds is one of four Churchill Downs Inc. racetracks participating in
the Night School venture.
“The Churchill Downs Inc. race tracks are excited to work with Joe and Jeremy
as they bring their innovative concept to horse racing fans,” said Tom Jenkins,
vice president of Churchill Downs Inc. “We understand and share the passion for
the sport and the importance that educating both old and new fans has on growth
possibilities. We look forward to having our customers leverage their Night
School education at the track.”