SENZ solidifies commitment to racing

SENZ has today announced it will be the major partner of New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing’s (NZTR) 2021 Horse of the Year Awards, to be held in September.

This sponsorship of the Awards, which includes naming rights of the event’s ultimate honour, the SENZ Horse of the Year Award, reaffirms SENZ’s commitment to racing in its soon to be launched network of stations, acquired recently from TAB Trackside.

Sports Entertainment Network CEO Craig Hutchison said that SENZ was proud to partner the awards.

‘’SENZ is excited to expand its racing offering and partnering with such a prestigious racing industry event, which recognizes the top performers.

“New Zealand owners, breeders, trainers, jockeys and participants have united to drive the industry forward despite the most difficult circumstances ever encountered on the back of the global pandemic.

“It has been a great year for New Zealand racing, and we can’t wait to see who is anointed the SENZ Horse of the Year.”

SENZ has also unveiled its racing strategy across SENZ, with leading NZ identities leading the charge to bring racing to life across the platform and develop a new tone for audio racing coverage.

From 8am Saturdays, SENZ’s lead racing host, Louis Herman-Watt, will be joined by highly respected journalist and identity Michael Guerin on ‘The Mail Run’ to welcome the punters of New Zealand to the weekend and set the stage for the all-important race-day ahead. The show aims to set the racing agenda each Saturday and be the destination for tips and the inside word.

And from 1pm-5pm Saturdays, racing will be front and centre on SENZ yet again with ‘The Good Oil´. Hosted by the vastly experienced and industry respected Mark Claydon, The Good Oil will capture the imagination of New Zealand’s punting and racing enthusiasts with a fun and engaging look at the afternoon’s races. The Good Oil shares the day’s punting journey with its audience.

Claydon will be joined every week by up-and-coming racing personality Teina Walters and a rotating cast of racing identities including iconic auctioneer Steve Davis, respected racing administrator Andrew ‘Butch’ Castles and multiple Group One winning jockey Sam Spratt.

The traditional Trackside channel will also run every race on the SENZ app under the ‘Trackside” tile.

Herman -Watt will lead racing coverage across the breakfast show with Brendon McCullum and Israel Dagg and during mornings with Ian Smith.

“We are delighted to join NZTR in supporting industry and areas such as ownership, syndication and local events to bring racing to new and existing fans alike,” Hutchison said.

NZTR CEO Bernard Saundry said “We are excited to have SENZ on board for the Awards. Having worked closely with SEN in Australia over the past 12 months, we are looking forward to their impact on the New Zealand market.’’

In Australia, SEN is the largest syndicator of sports radio content across Australia. The business owns and operates 21 radio stations around the country, including 1116 SEN Melbourne, 1170 SEN Sydney, 1629 SEN SA in Adelaide, as well as 13 stations under its racing brand SENTrack. It also owns a newspaper, magazine, and talent management business.