Magna Entertainment selects Barco for Santa Anita and Gulfstream Racetracks
Logan, UT – Barco announced today that it has been awarded the contract to supply and install its revolutionary SLite LED display solution and DLP™ projection products at two of Magna Entertainment Corp.’s (MEC) famed horse racetracks: Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, CA and Gulfstream Park in Miami, FL. MEC, with over 5,000 employees, is the largest owner and operator of thoroughbred and standardbred racetracks in North America, based on revenue. In addition, MEC owns and operates XpressBet™, a national Internet and telephone account wagering system, and HorseRacing TV™, a 24-hour horse racing television network.
Barco will install two 7’ x 12’ Barco SLite 10 outdoor displays at Santa Anita Park racetrack, in addition to eight, high-brightness Barco DLP™ projectors. The two LED displays will provide spectators with outstanding live video close-ups during races. Four RLM G5 projectors will be installed in the racetrack’s “Turf Club” and four SLM R8 projectors installed in the track’s “Betting area”, offering viewers live video footage during horse races, in addition to postings of race results. Santa Anita Park covers an area of over 300 acres and seats over 25,000 in the facility’s grandstands, in addition to being able to accommodate several thousand fans in the infield area of the racetrack. The track frequently plays host to celebrity guests, including Hollywood celebrities, in addition to being the site where the legendary horse, Seabiscuit, won his final race in the 1940 Santa Anita Handicap.
Barco has also provided 92 tiles of its SLite 14 LED outdoor display solution to Gulfstream Park near Miami, FL. The 18’ x 32’ display is installed on a fixed structure, specifically-designed for the display. During the racing season, the spectacular display will provide fans with live video footage, enhancing the spectators’ overall entertainment experience during races. When the season ends, the display will be removed from the custom-built structure and transform into the largest mobile LED unit on the market, known as “GoBigger”. GoVision, a prestigious Barco rental partner and supplier of custom-built mobile LED units, each aptly named GoBig, will assume operation and management of the mobile display unit for the entire duration of Gulfstream’s racing off-season.
GoVision specifically designed the 53’ trailer to accommodate the Barco SLite, creating the largest portable display in the US. It is also the first mobile installation of the Barco SLite in the US. The mobile GoBigger unit enables the mounted LED display to be raised up to 22 feet, rotated 360 degrees, and offers wide-screen ratio. GoBigger also features a built-in sound system, a camera package, and a complete onboard control room. The display can also be removed and resized from the mobile unit for various events and staging. GoVision’s newest product addition will be available beginning May 1, 2004 and is already slated to appear at the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico, and the Breeders Cup at Lone Star Park (both racetracks are owned by MEC), in addition to several other events with some of GoVision’s established clients.
Geoff Fardy, VP Sales and Marketing, Magna Entertainment Corp., stated, “After comparing a variety of LED products, we found that Barco offered the most functionality, exceptional quality, and simply outshined the competition. We were also impressed with Barco’s extensive product range.”
“In addition to offering reliable, high-quality product solutions, Barco is conscious of our customer’s need to realize a significant return on investment,” said Tom Ray, Executive Vice President of Barco Visual Solutions, LLC. “Through the collaborative efforts of Barco, Magna Entertainment and GoVision, both customers were able to devise a productive use of the Barco LED display, serving the needs of both clients.”
About Magna Entertainment Corporation
MEC, North America's number one owner and operator of horse racetracks, based on revenue, acquires, develops and operates horse racetracks and related pari-mutuel wagering operations, including off-track betting facilities. Additionally, MEC owns and operates XpressBet™, a national Internet and telephone account wagering system, and HorseRacing TV™, a 24-hour horse racing television network. MEC’s network of thoroughbred racetracks includes Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park, Pimlico Race Course, Laurel Park, Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie, Golden Gate Fields, Bay Meadows, Thistledown, Remington Park, Portland Meadows and Great Lakes Downs. In addition to these thoroughbred racetracks, MEC owns two standardbred tracks, The Meadows, in Pennsylvania, and Flamboro Downs in Hamilton, Ontario, and operates Multnomah Greyhound Park, a greyhound track in Oregon.
About GoVision
GoVision brings affordable, day or night video broadcast to outdoor and indoor events nationwide through state-of-the-art LED screens mounted on custom-built mobile units, each named GoBig and will introduce GoBigger on May 1, 2004. All mobile units can be rotated 360 degrees, are equipped with their own control room, and can be removed from the mobile units for various events and staging. GoVision is priced to accommodate virtually any event budget.
About Barco Media
Barco Media, LLC, headquartered in Logan, UT, offers turnkey imaging solutions to its markets. Barco’s LED display and projection solutions can be seen at the world’s leading motor shows, on stage with some of the world’s biggest stars and on buildings and in lobbies of some of the world’s foremost companies. The division has provided LED visual solutions to many high-profile clients, such as Clear Channel International, Merrill Lynch, Dresdner Bank, BMW, Toyota, Porsche, Daimler Chrysler, U2, Paul McCartney, Madonna, Bon Jovi and many others. The company’s LED display solutions have also been chosen to grace Reliant Park Stadium (USA), host to the 2004 Superbowl, as well as the stadiums of FC Porto (Portugal) and FC Geneve (Switzerland), which will host the 2004 and 2008 European Soccer Championships respectively.
About Barco
Barco, an international company headquartered in Kortrijk, Belgium, is active in three key areas of imaging technology. Barco designs and develops solutions for large screen visualization, display solutions for life-critical applications, and systems for visual inspection. Barco has a network of subsidiaries, distributors and agents in almost 100 countries. Barco is quoted on Brussels/Euronext and is a BEL 20 and a Next 150 company.
