Rocket Ship Racing’s Brook Smith / Woodbine, CEO Michael Copeland / Ajax Down’s General Manager Emilio Trotta

Ponies 24-7 The Radio Magazine

Larry and Ann are joined by Rocket Ship Racing’s Brook Smith, who is also part owner of Sierra Leone, and he discusses todays Kentucky Derby and how he became part of the ownership group behind the horse. He also discusses the Backside Learning Center at Churchill Downs and mentions how he became so involved in the horse racing industry initially. Woodbine, CEO Michael Copeland, who discusses Opening Day at Woodbine last weekend including the official reopening of the Woodbine Community Garden that is part of the Woodbine Cares initiative. Michael also discusses the status of Sports Betting, namely Woodbine’s current relationship with bet365 and talks about other initiatives that Woodbine are involved in to promote the horse racing experience more. Ajax Down’s General Manager Emilio Trotta who discusses next Wednesday’s Opening Day at the Quarter Horse track and also talks about last season and the great betting handles that the track enjoyed. He also mentions how the track is very heavily involved with the local community and talks about some of the events happening at Ajax Downs over the next few months that will benefit parts of the local community. In our feature, ‘In Case You Missed It’ A Look at The Way It Was in Horse Racing News, Larry discusses last weeks Opening Day at Woodbine and the riding exploits of Jockey Sophia Vives. In our new feature, ‘Road Trip,’ Larry talks about todays Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs at Woodbine and mentions about some of the history behind the race itself and who he believes the race ‘goes through’ later today. He also provides his ‘Ponies Picks of the Day’ selections for several North American Racetracks today, later in the show.

Key Points:

• Brook talks first about todays Kentucky Derby and how he became involved with the ownership group of Sierra Leone, and who some of the partners are. He also discusses how he became involved with horse racing initially and whether he had a mentor of sorts to guide him in the beginning. Brook also talks some about Rocket Ship Racing and its Canadian division at Woodbine and mentions about his involvement with the Backside Learning Center at Churchill Downs and being from Kentucky does the Kentucky Derby have an even more special significance. He also talks about the Triner Chad Brown’s training methods with Sierra Leone.

• Michael discusses last weeks Opening Day of Racing and in particular the reopening of the Woodbine Community Garden and how so many people benefit from the garden. He also talks about some of the many initiatives that Woodbine is currently working on to continue to improve the racing experience for current and new fans, including the launch of the new Turf Lounge, which will be hosting a Kentucky Derby Party today. Michael also discusses the status of Sports Betting and updates the listeners on the current arrangement with bet365 and when we may see other sports betting platforms becoming involved with the Woodbine products. He also talks about some of the initiatives planned for Woodbine Mohawk Park, designed to also generate further exposure of horse racing to new demographics.

• Emilio speaks about Opening Day at Ajax Downs on Wednesday and what we may expect for the 2024 racing season. He also discusses the tremendous betting handles that the track had last season and what he thinks accounted for the rise and whether it sees the betting numbers exceeding 2023’s this year. Emilio also mentions whether the track noticed a new demographic of patrons attending the races and for our new listeners, he also describes a Quarter horse. He also talks about some events taking place at Ajax Downs over the next few months and how many give back to the local community.