Sky Racing Active will be unleashed for its first trots takeover at Tabcorp Park Melton on Saturday as the TAB Breeders Crown is given the royal treatment.
Adam Hamilton and Jason Bonnington will co-host from the on-course studio while Brittany Graham will canvas the track and stables for the first and last word, giving trots fans unprecedented coverage via their phone or tablet.
“Sky Racing Active is a game-changing innovation,” said Hamilton, the TAB’s head of media and communication. “It answers the call of racing fans and our customers to have control of what they want to watch and when. It makes the user the producer.
“In my seven years working at Sky and TAB this is by far the biggest innovation I’ve been part of. It’s the future of racing coverage.”
Launched on August 8, Saturday night marks the first trots takeover, with the on-course team embracing the Breeders Crown’s eight Group 1s to give fans a showcase night.
“Even though it’s only week three of Sky Racing Active the team has worked incredibly hard behind the scenes to make sure we can really showcase Breeders Crown finals night like never before,” Hamilton said.
“There will be uninterrupted live coverage from Melton from 15 minutes before the first race until 10 minutes after the last. It gives us the chance to take all the action and atmosphere of a really special race night to all those fans who can’t be trackside.
“We’re incredibly lucky to have two very passionate and talented people in Jason Bonnington and Brittany Graham to head the coverage.
“This is the first of many opportunities to showcase harness racing’s biggest events through Sky Racing Active. “
Hamilton said Breeders Crown was “up with any of the sport’s biggest events” and he couldn’t wait to get trackside.
“Part of the Breeders Crown's essence is how it brings together horses from right around Australia and New Zealand, and I’m especially pleased to see a really strong New Zealand influence this year that goes wider than just the All Stars runners of Mark Purdon’s and Natalie Rasmussen’s,” he said.
“A lot of horses have stamped their credentials in one domain and now they are coming together. The two-year-olds is the best example. Be Happy Mach is almost certainly the Australian two-year-old of the year, but is he good enough to beat New Zealand’s best?
“The three-year-old colts and geldings is always the race I looked forward to the most. They are virtually four (years old) and are our next generation of open class stars in the making. Demon Delight, off the back of what he did in the semi, if he can win the final he will be one of the hottest horses in Australasia.”
The action will unfold from 5.15pm on Saturday night. Be sure to download the Sky Racing Active app on to your phone or laptop to savour every minute.