FanDuel

Matt Bernier joined this week's TDN Writers' Room to reminisce on his time at FanDuel TV and look ahead to what's next in his career. Elsewhere on the show, the team analyzed last week's top performances at Saratoga and looked ahead at this weekend's racing.

This is the third and final piece examining the structural condition of American horse racing. Part 1 examined the collapse of race days. Part 2 examined the fragility of wagering economics. When I came into this industry 20 years ago, Thoroughbred ownership was sold as an investment. That is still how we lead our marketing: big purses and the dream of a stallion prospect selling for tens of millions. We frame the racehorse as an asset with a return. So let's assess this investment. North American purse distribution in 2025...

This is the second of three pieces examining the structural condition of American horse racing. In Part 1, I showed that the racing habitat is collapsing not because horses can't run, but because race days are disappearing, 182 per year since 2022 and accelerating. More than 30 independent jurisdictions, with no centralized calendar, explain where the collapse is worst: isolated states are dying while connected corridors survive. And where the subsidy is chained to the calendar, as in Pennsylvania, the schedule is written around the slot floor, not the horse....

The eighth annual PDJF Telethon, held last Saturday, April 18, raised a record-breaking $575,000 for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF), over $100,000 more than the previous year, the event announced Friday. "This event is a testament of what can be accomplished when so many people, especially the fans, come together for a good cause," said Andrew Moore, FanDuel TV's General Manager of Racing. "Every donation makes a difference. We are grateful to all of our friends in the industry that came together to make this event a success and...

1/ST TV will offer video workouts for contenders of this year's GI Kentucky Derby under the "Triple Crown Trail" tab on its website. The section provides free access to a library of current and previous works for Derby contenders. 1/ST TV also supports the workouts for FanDuel and TwinSpires Kentucky Derby preview shows.

Last week's news that FanDuel TV is gradually winding down its product through 2027 has ripped through the industry like a tornado. In response, some, like the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters, have urged the company to reverse course. "Should there be a viable path to reconsider this decision, we urge FanDuel and Flutter Entertainment leadership to explore it. We also encourage consideration of a sale of the network to an entity willing to continue regular operations. The infrastructure, audience, and brand equity built over decades represent valuable assets," the...

The Horse Racing Women's Association (HRWA)'s annual conference will take place on Oct.12-13 at Harper Hall in Lexington, Kentucky. Additionally, FanDuel TV will return as the title sponsor for the HRWA's fifth renewal of the conference. Additional details on conference programming, speakers, and registration will be announced in the coming months. Prior to the annual conference in October, the HRWA plans to host multiple events across the country with the next event to be held Thursday, July 23 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, California. For more information...

The Oaklawn Foundation received a $100,000 donation from FanDuel to support the foundation's programs and scholarships for Garland County students and senior citizens, according to an announcement from the organization Wednesday. "FanDuel is proud to support the Oaklawn Foundation as part of our commitment to making a positive impact in the communities in which we operate," said Keita Young, Vice President of Advocacy and Public Policy at FanDuel. "Local community development is one of the key pillars of our community impact work, and we look forward to amplifying the great...

So-called prediction markets have become all the rage across a wide swath of topics, from election results to gas prices to the amount of snowfall might occur in a given place. The Kentucky Derby and horse racing at large? That topic was the subject of a panel entitled 'Prediction Markets and Wagering: An Emerging Threat To Horse Racing and Interstate Horseracing Act Revenue' during Thursday's session of the National HBPA Conference at Oaklawn Park. Speakers agreed that prediction markets have the ability to dwarf even sports betting in America. The...

According to a post on FanDuel TV's X account, FanDuel has "parted ways" with long-time on-air host Todd Schrupp. "We're grateful for Todd's contributions to the network," the tweet read. "He played an important role in helping grow our on-air presence and connecting with viewers. We thank him for his work and dedication and wish him all the best in his future endeavors." FanDuel did not provide a reason why Schrupp would no longer be working for the network. Schrupp was there at the beginning, starting with what was then...

Horse of the Year candidate and MGISW Sovereignty (Into Mischief) will return to racing in 2026. The news was confirmed by Godolphin's Michael Banahan in an interview Saturday with FanDuel TV. Questioned about the stable's star runner, Banahan told FanDuel's Caton Bredar that Sovereignty was "doing great". "He's up in Kentucky at the moment," Banahan said. "He's at Keeneland. He's galloping--doing fine. We'll probably get him down here to Payson [Park] early in the new year and get him [trainer] Bill [Mott]. Hopefully we'll have as a good a year...

Can racing withstand the addition of yet another existential threat to the ever-expanding list of practices deemed harmful to our sport's health? Dennis Drazin, the chairman and chief executive officer of Darby Development LLC, which operates Monmouth Park, warned last week that the rising wave of prediction markets should be met with a greater sense of urgency and should be getting more scrutiny from racetrack operators and regulators. "I'm growing more and more concerned about the prediction market companies, such as Kalshi, Polymarket, and others that are now offering bets...