While I am very proud of my home state and its bustling horse racing industry, I’m also proud to work with other states who are trying to help their horse racing industry gain traction, increase awareness and flourish. Since the start of 2021, I have been working with the Minnesota Racehorse Engagement Project (MnREP) on refreshing their website, adding updated content and exploring ways to market and expand the program’s outreach. It’s been a fun experience, and I love to see how passionate Minnesotans can be about their state and industry.

Joe Scurto is the Executive Director of MnREP. He approached me late in 2020 about the possibility of helping him. I brought on my friend, Chad Mendell of Equiseen, to help with the backend of the website. Between the three of us, we have already increased the number of pages on the website, improved the search engine optimization (SEO) and worked to educate horse racing enthusiasts on a variety of topics.

Minnesota’s Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racetrack, Canterbury Park, is a partner with MnREP. The track hosts a multitude of ownership groups and wants to ensure that each group interested in racing in Minnesota can get the attention of potential owners. I love the approach the track has taken with this–help increase awareness of what is essentially the future of racehorse ownership. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to me, though, because Canterbury was the first track to host its own track ownership club–a group of individuals who buy in on a horse racing solely at Canterbury for that single season. From there, the necessity to encourage more ownership groups and more notoriety became important for MnREP and Canterbury.

Another important aspect of the industry for MnREP was racehorse aftercare programs. Minnesotans are known for their warm hearts and generous spirits, which translates to their care and concern for its equine athletes. Because of this, we wanted to make sure anyone who visit MnREP’s website knows that they take racehorse retirement and aftercare seriously. From learning about off-track Thoroughbred (OTTB) programs to how they can help the registered non-profits, we outline easy-to-read information geared at even the most non-horsey person as well as provided illustrations of what you can donate to help or how you can adopt a horse for yourself.

The website for MnREP says that the program’s mission is to:

“Provide opportunities for Minnesotans to connect with racehorses, both active and retired, through engagement programs designed to provide unique and memorable experiences. We want to share this truly one-of-a-kind experience that happens when people and these exceptional equine athletes engage with each other.”

racehorseminnesota.com

I, for one, am honored to be associated with such a passionate group. The past few years have really ignited and engaged my passion for horse racing, whether it’s supporting the little guy, cheering for the Hall of Famers or marketing a sale horse, I love doing what I’m doing as a marketing consultant for the horse racing industry.

Keep up-to-date with horse racing happenings in Minnesota by following MnREP’s different social media platforms. And, if you’re interested in finding out more about MnREP, Canterbury Park or the ownership groups racing in Minnesota, feel free to reach out to me!