Naming rights deal provides stability for Hollywood Park

The first naming rights deal for a racetrack was struck between Betfair TVG and Hollywood Park. The track will now be called Betfair Hollywood Park.

It’s an interesting marriage that makes sense on many levels.

The five-year deal brings certainty to the Southern California racing calendar and relief to the California Horse Racing Board and the TVG network.

Hollywood Park, which had been threatening to close for real estate development, has been operating on a year-to-year basis with the CHRB dates committee. If Hollywood Park were to close, its dates potentially would have been allocated among Santa Anita, Del Mar and, possibly, Fairplex. Now there is certainty for five years.

That mattered greatly to TVG, which has exclusivity with Hollywood Park, Del Mar and Fairplex, and HRTV, which shows Santa Anita races exclusively. Since Hollywood Park is a huge part of its programming, TVG would have suffered greatly if the track had closed, with many of those dates ending up at Santa Anita. Thus, it made sense that Betfair act to protect a key partner.

Also, I suspect Betfair would not be making this commitment without the understanding that exchange wagering will be moving forward. Exchange wagering is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for Betfair and why the company is investing millions of dollars into TVG and now Hollywood Park.

In politics, it’s important to curry favor, thus the actions of Betfair may encourage the CHRB to fast-track the implementation of exchange wagering.

In its news release, Betfair announced plans to build a Betfair Lounge and Betfair Club at Hollywood Park. Betfair will also use its expertise in social media to regenerate the fan base and improve the on-track racing experience.

Additional improvements will include a new graphics package on Hollywood Park simulcasts and the introduction of high-definition broadcasting. An HD production is a big cost that not many racetracks can afford on their own.

■ ‘LUCK’ CANCELED — The HBO horse racing drama “Luck” was canceled this week after a third equine death during filming at Santa Anita Park. It’s bad news, but clearly three deaths too many. What irks me is that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), will now claim victory after protesting to HBO executives about the treatment of the horses used in racing scenes.

When I worked at Turfway Park in 1988, we agreed to host the horse racing scenes for the TV mini-series “Bluegrass.” I saw first-hand how precautions were taken with each animal. I have been told during the production of “Luck” that the standards were much higher.

My long-term fear is that PETA will feel empowered to target horse racing even more. For example, the rash of breakdowns and deaths at Aqueduct this winter will likely be on the organization’s radar.

Richard Eng’s horse racing column is published Friday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He can be reached at rich_eng@hotmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @richeng4propick.