Season three of Night School, the racing industry’s official online fan
education program, breaks from the starting gate March 5 for the first of 40
lesson plans aimed at building the sport’s customer base. Night School runs
weekly though December 3. More than 400,000 viewers have accessed the first two
seasons of Night School, which debuted in February 2011 and is set for a
multi-media makeover this year.
The Night School list of partner websites simulcasting the weekly lessons
once again will number more than 40 unique urls, comprised primarily of top
racing tracks and brands, media partners and industry organizations. Viewers can
access all of the program’s features from the comforts of their favorite Night
School partner sites. Night School offers handicapping and racing-related lesson
plans and topics in an interactive format online each Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. (ET),
a timeslot and date chosen so that it can best supplement the racing week and
schedules of fans across the country and worldwide. Night School is always free
with optional registration.
What’s new in 2013 is a multi-media delivery of the lessons, which once again
will utilize the Cover It Live live-blogging/chat technology for many sessions,
but also will feature new audio streaming podcasts in addition to select,
complete video presentations. Night School ventured into its first, full-length
video offering last year with its exclusive feature and interview with speed
figure guru Andrew Beyer, produced by Horse Player NOW. Full-length video
presentations will be featured once per month throughout the season, March
through December. Meanwhile, streaming audio/podcasts will be offered for select
lessons throughout the season, and those will be co-produced by Horse Player NOW
and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio’s “At The Races with Steve Byk.” All sessions,
regardless of media, will be presented through the Night School console to each
of the sites in the same manner.
Night School co-creators Joe Kristufek and Jeremy Plonk of Horseplayernow.com
host and produce the lessons and downloadable study materials each week. They
are joined by regular appearances from Caton Bredar of Horse Player NOW and HRTV
and Jill Byrne of Churchill Downs. A litany of the industry’s top horsemen,
handicappers and executives comprise the season’s Who’s Who of guests. More than
150 guests have come “back to school” so far.
Night School Syllabus
Tuesdays, 8:30-10 p.m. Eastern
March 5 through December 3, 2013
Always free, and archives always available for those who miss the live classes!
| 40-Week Lesson Plan in 2013 | |
| Lessons are broken into five, eight-week
“pods” for development & to fit more fans’ schedules. |
|
| 1-8: “Spring Training” | March 5 – April 23 |
| 9-16: “Triple Crown Season” | April 30 – June 18 |
| 17-24: “Summer Handicapping” | June 25 – August 13 |
| 25-32: “Celebration of the Breeds” | August 20 – October 8 |
| 33-40: “Championship Season & The Stars” | October 15 – December 3 |
Prizes
Prizes will be drawn among registered Night Schoolers who attend six of eight
lessons in each pod, those earning “Honor Roll” status for attending either live
or via the archives. Also, those who register live or in the archives for 20 or
more lessons will receive a Night School diploma and prizes at season’s end.
| Topics: “Spring Training Pod” |
| March 5 — Intro to 2013 Night School |
| March 12 — Countdown to the Crown |
| March 19 — Handicapping a Race from A to Z |
| March 26 — Wagering Theories/Money Management |
| April 2 — Class Handicapping |
| April 9 — Handicapping Angles and Theories |
| April 16 — Trip Handicapping |
| April 23 — Online/Mobile Wagering |
Specific weekly topics for each eight-week pod will be announced as the
season progresses.
Learn and then Go Live
Night School instructors play the races with you in real time twice weekly.
First, Tuesday’s After Night School Specials from Mountaineer Park provide free
live streaming video video immediately following Night School at 10 p.m. (ET)
for the remaining races on the card. You can access simply by staying after
class in the Night School chat module.
New this year, Friday Night School Live will offer full-card analysis from
Remington Park each Friday beginning at 6:30 p.m. (ET) and running the entire
program. Free live streaming video is linked through the NS chat module.
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