NEWS

40-under-40

Industry News

Most Popular Stories

Most E-mailed Stories

Erich Zimny

Posted: Thursday, June 24, 2010 12:17 PM

ERICH ZIMNY

Charles Town Races

After starting his career as a racing official at Suffolk Downs, Erich Zimny could not shake the bug during a stint as a corporate attorney in New York. He went back to school and earned a Master of Science degree from the University of Arizona’s Race Track Industry Program in 2008.

The next spring, Charles Town Races hired Zimny as its racing administrator and charged him with enhancing the allure and reach of the track’s racing product. Part of the strategy was a heightened stakes program that in 2009 inaugurated the now-$1-million Charles Town Classic Stakes for older horses in mid-April.

The results are exhibited in Charles Town all-sources handle records for both of the Charles Town Classic programs that Zimny helped engineer and in his promotion to director of racing operations in late 2009.

“We run 235 days a year and we wanted to make a big splash and grab the residual off some of those events, which I think we’ve done,” Zimny said. “That was one of the pieces of the puzzle. Getting our races broadcast on [HorseRacing Television] on a nightly basis certainly helped us capture that. They’ve also done a great job producing studio shows for our stakes races. Those two elements were definitely a big part of it.

“The average daily handle is up 5% or 6% over last year, and our export was up something like 20% in May, so we’re seeing good results.”

Date of birth: June 28, 1976
Birthplace: Belleville, New Jersey
Residence: Ranson, West Virginia
Title: Director of racing operations
Company: Charles Town Races and Slots
Education: Bachelor of Arts, Georgetown University; Juris Doctor, Rutgers University School of Law; Master of Business Administration, Rutgers University; Master of Science, University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program
Family: Single
Career: Racing official at Suffolk Downs from 1998 to 2000; corporate attorney in New York before returning to racing at Charles Town in ’08; promoted to director of racing operations in ’09  
Background in Thoroughbred industry: “Started off as a fan at the Meadowlands and Monmouth Park. Worked as a racing official at Suffolk Downs after college and earned a master’s degree from the University of Arizona’s Race Track Industry Program.”
Favorite horses: Researcher, Silver Charm, Rachel Alexandra
What’s on your iPod? “A little bit of everything, except country.”
Biggest professional achievement: “Working with our team to set the record for the highest single-card handle in Charles Town’s 76-year history in 2009 and then topping it again on Charles Town Classic [Stakes] day in 2010.”

Return to 40 Under 40