Racing channel HRTV has reached an agreement with Christina Olivares Blacker to join the network, beginning Dec. 26, opening day at Santa Anita Park.
Additionally HRTV has reached a deal with Kurt Hoover, making the longtime horseracing TV personality a full-time member of the network's announcing team, also effective Dec. 26. While Hoover has been involved with HRTV since its inception, his contributions have been limited to the live Santa Anita meetings.
Olivares Blacker rejoins HRTV, where her career in horseracing began in 2004. As a senior in college, she served as a weekend reporter and features producer. During her initial stint at HRTV, she played a key role in the network's development and was a driving force behind the shows "Target Louisville" and "Pursuit of the Cup."
On the evening of Dec. 9 she said farewell to viewers on the racing channel TVG, where she had worked. A versatile on-air presence, she is expected to fill a variety of roles with HRTV, including reporter, host, and analyst.
"I'm thrilled to be rejoining the stellar team at HRTV," Olivares Blacker said. "I look forward to working with them and contributing to the broadcasts."
The daughter of jockey Frank Olivares, she graduated from the USC Annenberg School for Communications with a degree in broadcast journalism and entertainment communications.
In 2006-12, she moved to TVG as a full-time on-camera reporter. In her six years at the network, Olivares Blacker parlayed that position in to a variety of roles, expanding her familiarity with racing connections throughout the country. In March, 2012, Olivares Blacker stepped on to the network stage with NBC Sports serving as a reporter for the Florida Derby (gr. I) broadcast. She married Thoroughbred trainer Dan Blacker in July. The couple resides near Santa Anita Park, home base for HRTV.
Kurt Hoover has been with HRTV since 2002, and remains one of the sport's most respected voices in Southern California. He has filled a myriad of roles with HRTV, serving as host, analyst, and reporter for its live racing coverage, and will continue in that capacity. The full-time role at HRTV's Arcadia, Calif. studio, solidifies his roots. Hoover began his broadcasting career at Santa Anita in 1986 where he was a key member of the Eclipse Award-winning Santa Anita broadcast team.
Additionally, Hoover has contributed to several original HRTV shows, including: "The Edge," "Race Day America," and "Against the Odds." In addition to his decade-long work with HRTV, Hoover also worked with ESPN from 2003-05, where he covered the Triple Crown and other key races.