Panus and his wife Kellie at the Saratoga Race Course last summer for the Travers Stakesstephen panus
STEPHEN PANUS is the President of The Jockey Club Media Ventures, and this weekend will be the first Kentucky Derby in seven years that he will not be in attendance for, due to a family conflict. Panus and his team oversee America’s Best Racing, a multimedia platform that produces content to increase visibility of thoroughbred racing events in the U.S. Panus, whose many hats include everything from PR and sponsorship sales, to a national radio show/podcast on SB Nation, walked THE DAILY through his weekend and how he'll keep his eye on Churchill Downs from afar.
NEVER A DULL MOMENT: Derby week is certainly a busy one as more mainstream media attention is focused on our sport than at any other time of the year. This year’s Derby week is extra busy. America’s Best Racing will have two embedded film productions going on at the Derby, complete digital and social media coverage on site all week working collaboratively with NBC Sports and the Kentucky Derby, and we are also hosting some major social media influencers as well as collaborating with other influencers who are hosting Derby parties from their homes. I won’t be attending but on Friday I will be watching the television coverage from Oaks Day at Churchill Downs and coordinating via telephone/email and multiple screens final plans for our wall-to-wall Saturday coverage.
BET ON IT: I will be on the road early Saturday morning heading north to Boston and then will be monitoring my phone, social media channels and choosing moments to steal away from a family gathering to watch as much of the NBC Sports coverage as possible. I also still need to make my final betting selections and get those locked in before post time (6:46pm ET). The Derby is always one of the more alluring and challenging races to bet as the odds can be attractive with such a large field and the payoffs can be significant. By way of example, a $1 superfecta (picking the top 4 horses in order) ticket paid out $75,974.50 last year.
NAMASTE: I enjoy yoga (my wife is a teacher) for the physical workout and mental release, spending time at the beach, and reading the Sunday N.Y. Times on my back deck on a sunshine-filled Sunday afternoon. I like to get a morning workout (yoga, jog, etc.) in before the day is typically filled with attending youth sports games and other activities. If no sports are occurring and the weather is nice -- we live within walking distance of a nice beach and try to spend as much time there as possible, enjoying a nice bottle of wine with my wife as we catch up. I enjoy “BARRY” on HBO, too. On Sunday evening, I typically review my weekly calendar to re-set my mind and focus on what’s coming up, what’s needed to be done and scribbling down ideations that a relaxing weekend can often produce.
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