Horse Technology Conference and Expo Set for Saratoga

Edited from Horse Technology 2004 press release
Handicappers Nick Kling and Tom Amello, trainers Todd Pletcher, Mark Hennig and Linda Rice, and Dr. Ernest Bailey, head of the International Horse Genome Project, are among the presenters who will be featured at Horse Technology 2004.

The two-day, free conference and expo will take place Tuesday, Aug. 3,and Wednesday, Aug. 4, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

"Horse Technology 2004 will bring together many of the far-sighted experts who are pioneering the use of technology in every aspect of the equine world, especially the racing industry," said Elliott Masie, a Saratoga Springs businessman, Thoroughbred owner and founder of Horse Technology 2004. "Our goal is to demonstrate the merging influence and unlimited potential that technology offers to trainers, owners, breeders, vets, jockeys, racetrack personnel, bettors, and fans."

Horse Technology 2004 will be held at the Saratoga City Center. The conference will run from 11:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 3, and from 8 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 4. The opening session will be a presentation on "The Future Of Horse Technology." An expo and trade show will be held concurrently, and run from 10:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. Tuesday and from 8 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Wednesday.

More than 30 experts from around the country will be participating in panel discussions and presentations at Horse Technology 2004.

Nick Kling and Tom Amello, hosts of the Capital District OTB cable channel's "Track Facts," will be among the presenters in a seminar on using technology in handicapping, called "Handicapping for a Bettor Future." Trainers Todd Pletcher, Mark Hennig and Linda Rice will take part in a discussion on the use of new software in training and stable management called, "Managing to Win."

Dr. Ernest Bailey, a professor at the University of Kentucky's Maxwell Gluck Equine Research Center and director of the International Horse Genome Project, will outline the way that decoding equine DNA is radically changing breeding and horse health care. Among other veterinary experts will be representatives from the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine, discussing how technology has changed the practice of veterinary medicine; Dr. Celeste Kunz, chief examination veterinarian for NYRA, who will moderate a panel on "The Future of Horse Health Care"; and Dr. Mary Scollay-Ward of Gulfstream Park, an expert on the effectiveness of alternative therapies such as laser treatment and ultrasound.

Two local racing officials -- Skip Carlson, vice president of racing at the Saratoga Gaming and Raceway, and Michael Connery, president of Capital District OTB -- will participate in a panel on new gaming technology. Dennis Brida, president of the New York Owners and Breeders Association, will join Gay Fisher of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and others in a session on the way computers and the Internet are changing the business of breeding.

Other subjects to be addressed include the use of heart monitoring technology to improve training, increasing fan enjoyment with media technology, employing new lightweight cameras to record a jockey's view of a race, and many more.

The exhibitors scheduled to take part in the trade show include: Altitude Simulation Technologies (AST), Brisnet.com, CAJ Software Inc., ehorse, EponaShoe, EponaTech, EQB, Equiglobal USA, EquineHyperbarics.com, Equineline.com, Equineox Technologies Ltd., Equix Biomechanics, EQUUS Media, Polar Horse Heart Monitors, and TLore Management LLC, among many others.

Horse Technology 2004 kicks off with a country music party and benefit on the evening of Monday, Aug. 2. Proceeds from the event, called "Silks and Spurs," will benefit the Disabled Jockeys Fund and The College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University. The evening will feature a singing performance by jockey Shane Sellers.

"'Silks and Spurs' represents an opportunity for those of us involved in racing to give something back to two groups who are essential to the success of any undertaking – jockeys and veterinarians," said Masie.

Masie is CEO and president of The MASIE Center, an international technology research company that advises Fortune 500 companies. Masie is also the owner of Clarke House Stables, which has 10 Thoroughbred horses running in New York (Saratoga, Belmont) and Florida (Gulfstream). Masie was recently appointed to serve on the White House Task Force on Learning and Technology. He is a trustee of Skidmore College and serves on the board of directors of CTN, Operation Respect and the Empire State College Foundation.

For a detailed list of free seminars and presentations at Horse Technology
2004 visit www.horsetechnology.com.