The Jockey Club released its latest update regarding progress in the implementation of several initiatives outlined by the McKinsey Report, which was released last summer. In association with several affiliate companies, including NTRA Communications, the Jockey Club gave updates to several areas of interest, including:
• The Jockey Club, in collaboration with NBC and six tracks, will provide coverage of six major preps for the 2012 GI Kentucky Derby, including 90-minute live broadcasts of the GI Wood Memorial and GI Santa Anita Derby.
• On the alternate television front, The Jockey Club has earmarked $100,000 to fund several preview reels that will support pitches to networks. The Jockey Club has chosen two producers: The Wolper Organization and Content & Co.
• In an effort to rebrand the NTRA website, The Jockey Club has selected Lightmaker, a digital strategy company whose clients include Manchester United, Professional Bull Riding and the British Open. The initial stages of the initiative will involve a focus on the televised series and the Triple Crown.
• The Jockey Club has engaged Brenda Spoonemore to oversee the development of the free-to-play game “Major League Horse Racing”. Development of the first edition of the game is scheduled to be completed shortly and testing will be launched this month.
• The Jockey Club engaged Lloyd Melnick to oversee the development of social gaming media. Melnick is CEO of 519 Games, a social web and mobile gaming joint venture between the E.W. Scripps Company and Capitol Broadcasting. The initial phases of the design have been completed and the launch is expected in late April.
• InCompass, in association with McKinsey, is developing a tool which will be used in the enhancement of Race Track Operations system to help racing secretaries make informed decisions on race scheduling and maximizing wagering handle. The development of a new Condition Book Matrix tool is also underway with beta testing scheduled for May.
• With the input of TOBA, the club outlined the ongoing development of central resources in racing, which will include information on trainers, public racing syndicates, new owner incentives, racehorse retirement and owner licensing. Wireframes designs have been created and the initatives presentation is scheduled for April.
• InCompass is working with North Gaming to develop a business plan for a Customer Relationship Management. North Gaming provides customized information technology services, including CRM and player tracking application development/ enhancement, database analytics, date warehousing, mining projects, software development, email and mobile marketing and mobile application development. To date, a major racetrack has agreed to be the first test track in the area.
