Page 43 - 16 March 2012

“We’re probably going to have more than 4,000 registration certificates during the meet,” he said.
It’s a problem many other racing secretaries throughout the country would love to have. But as Fick pointed out, sometimes that means trainers have a difficult time getting a race for their horses.
“If you have to scratch out of race and you miss your chance, you might find it hard to get into another race,” Fick said.
Fick tries to give as many horses the oppor- tunity to race as possible.
“You can’t satisfy everybody, and that’s the biggest difficulty and frustration to this job,” said Fick. “But I am blessed because the staff I inherited at Remington is very experienced.”
In writing the condition book, Fick and the racing office personnel recognize that as the first major meet of the year, Remington will have
an abundance of 2- and 3-year-old maidens. They card more of those type of races than other meets later in the season to give those horses a chance to get their racing careers going.
While the racing office focuses on serving the horsemen, Fick and his crew also work with track management to put on the best show pos- sible. And that comes back to those customer service lessons.
“The racing product has not really changed over the years,” Fick said. “The horses go to the paddock and the post parade, they race, and then they return to the winner’s circle. But people talk about how much other sports have changed—basketball, baseball. Go to a minor league baseball game and just see all the ways they entertain people. It’s a show.”
Global Gaming, through its many other businesses, which includes the casino at Remington, works hard to attract and keep customers. As only one example, Fick pointed to a gigantic infield board that can show the race in such detail, down to the assistant start- ers’ actions as the horses blast out of the gate, that it draws fans right into the race.
Remington also markets several big days
of celebration during the meet. Fick said that May 20 will be devoted to Oklahoma. Not only will the race card include several stakes for Oklahoma-breds, the track will promote Oklahoma products, ranging from food and clothes to the agricultural and farm industries. There will even be a boot-decorating contest.
Remington’s racing programs run primarily in the evenings, with the exception of Sundays, when first post is at 1:30 p.m. While Fick spends time on those evenings and afternoons at the races, his first love is the morning routine.
“The best place to be is on the backside of a racetrack in the morning,” he said. “And the racing office is where everything happens.”
Dan Fick, pictured with Russell Harris, keeps up with the industry and horsemen by attending as many events as possible, such as the Heritage Place Winter Mixed Sale.
Dan Fick has been a strong supporter of Quarter Horse racing at the administrative and legislative levels. He is pictured here with Oklahoma Representative Mike Shelton.
SPEEDHORSE, March 16, 2012 41
INDUSTRY PRofIle
speedhorse speedhorse