by Ed DeRosa

Horses, jockeys, and trainers already have proven that South American and Latin American athletes can compete throughout the world, and a movement is under way to prove that the South American and Latin American racing industries can compete in an international marketplace for simulcasting as well.

Discussion of developing the racing from South America and Latin America as a wagering product in North America was the opening discussion on the final day of the International Simulcast Conference on Wednesday in St. Petersburg, Florida.

“The potential and opportunity is there,” said Chris Scherf, executive vice president of the Thoroughbred Racing Associations. “The Latin American and South American markets are emerging in our country. The races are in a similar time zone, and they use the same tote vendors, which is a huge advantage. We still have problems with wagering when dealing with foreign tote vendors.”

The Maryland Jockey Club began importing and distributing signals from South America in December 2006, and Pablo Kavulakian of the Latin American Racing Channel said that his group would seek an expansion in the number of wagering opportunities available to North American bettors on races from his region of the world.

“Invasor [Arg] helped open the market,” Kavulakian said of the 2005 Uruguayan Triple Crown winner and 2006 Eclipse Award winner as Horse of the Year. “It’s been two years since we started sending races to North America, and we’re ready to expand.”

Kavulakian said that Latin American and South American racing has similar hurdles as its North American counterparts in that each country has different rules, regulations, and restrictions related to simulcasting.

North American operators will be looking for wider distribution of their simulcast signals in Latin America and South America.

Santiago Gonzalez de Cosio, the director of gaming and simulcasting services for MIR International Services Inc., which represents Agua Caliente in Mexico, said that he has worked with the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau to give North American operators peace of mind that his Aqua Caliente operates with integrity.

“We’re becoming a more mature market,” Gonzalez de Cosio said.

Lionel Muller, vice president of the Hipodromo Camarero in Puerto Rico, said that he hopes to export Camarero wagering opportunities to the U.S. and Canada soo. The track offers a Poolpote [Big Pool] wager, which is a pick-six wager for 25 cents that pays the jackpot when there is just a single winner. Prizes have been as high as $14.2-million in 2007 and $6-million this year.

Handle on top South American tracks can reach as high as $1-million a day, although for now, the Maryland Jockey Club facilitates separate pool wagering on races from that continent.

Ed DeRosa is news editor of Thoroughbred Times