Fox deal will give The Adios added exposure
By John Sacco
For the Observer-Reporter
newsroom@observer-reporter.com
The Adios has long been a big deal in Washington County and the surrounding area.
Now, the race for 3-year-old pacers is gaining national exposure.
Earlier this year, The Adios was named a Grade 1 stakes race. And last week it was announced The Adios will be televised nationally on Fox from 3-6 p.m. on Saturday, July 26.
According to the Meadows Standardbred Owners Association, the national broadcast represents a “major milestone bringing the energy, tradition and thrilling competition of Adios Day to a broader audience across the country.”
Through the years, The Adios has produced great champions, huge upsets and many thrills.
Why is its popularity increasing?
“It was a couple things as we look to promote and to showcase the big races,” Eric Donovan, senior director of TV broadcast operations for NYRA (New York Racing Association). “We’re after the best harness racing has to offer. So, all the major stakes races that we can cover, certainly we’d like to do. Most of those end up being on FS2 or FS1. The Hambletonian has been part of that for the last few years.”
Supplemental entries to The Adios are $35,000 and it is due with the declaration to start. The entry box for Adios elimination races closes at 9 a.m. today.
“The MSOA and the racetrack have been really excited about this opportunity,” Donovan said. “Once they saw what we were able to do with the Hambletonian and some of our other telecasts as well, we kind of talked back-and-forth and came up with the plan to showcase the race this year.
“It’s pretty much a small footprint through a couple of vendors and we’re going to install another camera on the roof. We will also have a couple of camera guys with the live-view backpack with the cellular transmission so that those video feeds get sent back to New York. We’ll have one person cover the talent on the front side and then another camera in the paddock area to get shots of horses as they warm up or get ready for the race.”
The Adios is being sponsored by the Burke Family, honoring the memory of the late harness racing Hall of Famer Mickey Burke.
“I obviously have seen the Meadowlands and the Little Brown Jug and we always talk about we need to get our sport out to more people,” said Dawnelle Mock, executive director of the MSOA..
“I was at Saratoga (N.Y.) last summer where I met Eric Donovan. I had already been interested but then after meeting him it just kind of worked out. He came out for a Steelers game and then he walked our property and track. We’re incredibly proud to partner with FOX to highlight the Adios on such a prominent platform. This is a tremendous opportunity.”