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Show B-6 The Park Record Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, June 8-11, 2019 A new focus in horse racing High-tech cameras becoming standard at major races Specializing in the repair and maintenance of Audi, BMW, Land Rover, Mercedes, Porsche, Subaru, VW, Volvo And All Other Makes and Models BY STEPHEN WHYNO Associated Press ƌ ͻ BALTIMORE ͻ – Without high-tech cameras and updated x monitors, TV viewers would x not have been able to see JustiOil Changes, Brakes, Tire Sales and Repairs fy win the 2018 Preakness. Park City’s only AAA certified auto repair shop At least not nearly as clearly x as they did. Pick up and delivery service available When the fog descended on x Pimlico Race Course, everyConveniently located in the heart of Park City behind Ritual Chocolate one was blinded to the track. Follow us on x But NBC Sports’ use of the Over 30 Years Experience “BatCam” and high-definition x Serving Park City Since 1989 monitors in the broadcast booth x for the first time allowed an( 2 8 8 6 ) Se Habla Espanol x nouncer Larry Collmus to call x the race – providing viewers accurate play-by-play – despite not being able to see the horses. FAX: 435-649-2846 Much of the same technoloMon-Fri: 8-530 1155 Iron Horse Dr • Park City x gy will be utilized again at the Belmont on Saturday. In fact, it could be used at all Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup races to ensure fans at home can see the race sometimes better than those at the racetrack. “They put you in the best seat in the house,” said Drew Esocoff, who has directed NBC’s Triple Crown telecasts since 2011. “These cameras, whether they’re high-def or 4K, also allow for better manipulation of 435-649-AUTO Bringing Community News to Park City Since 1880 video: zooming in, zooming out without major degradation of the video quality. It just makes the viewing experience better and you’re also looking at it on high-def monitors. Compared to what you saw 25, 30 years ago, it’s night and day.” Viewers benefit from some of the same technology that allowed NBC to broadcast the foggy Atlanta Falcons-New England Patriots NFL game in 2017 because unique camera angles can be used to show the action that may otherwise be obscured by weather. The monitors, which won’t be seen by viewers, are essential for Collmus, especially at the Preakness and other races where infield festivities block his view of the backstretch. Collmus, who has been the voice of all Triple Crown races on NBC since 2011, could have used the technology four years ago when he called American Pharoah running through the driving rain in the Preakness on the way to being the sport’s first Triple Crown winner since 1978. The monitors that were put in because of an additional infield concert stage last year actually turned out to be a Godsend because the fog forced him to call the entire race off them. “I call races through a pair of binoculars, my normal routine, and last I looked, they don’t work in the fog,” Collmus said. “I just looked out over the track and realized, hey, you’re not going to be able to see anything. ... I was completely dependent on camera shots.” After preparing for the situation by setting up anticipated camera angles that could show the race, Pierre Moossa, who directed Justify’s foggy Preakness victory because Esocoff was at a graduation, shifted from shot to shot. The television production truck parked outside the grandstand was full of white screens. As soon as Moossa saw the flash of a horse and gave the American viewing public the chance to see far better than anyone at Pimlico. The biggest difference from inside the production truck was the addition of the zip-line “BatCam” camera similar to the SkyCam used in football. Without that, the race would’ve been run almost blind with no video record to show for much of it. “It was the first year we had ever had that at the Preakness Stakes,” Moossa said. “That was able to be low enough to be able to cover the backstretch. If that camera wasn’t there, you would not have seen any horses for the entire backstretch. There was no other way to cover it.” The good news for viewers is now races can be called in almost any conditions. PARK RECORD FILE PHOTO Call 435-649-9014 to Subscribe Today The Tour of Utah takes off on Main Street last August. The six-stage race will cover more than 470 miles this year, culminating with two stages in Summit County. Continued from B-2 Tour of Utah will return “Spectators will have excellent viewing opportunities around Snowbird Resort to see the riders pass in both directions,” the press release stated. The next day, the race will start in North Logan and travel 86.9 miles around the Cache Valley, traversing the west side of the Bear River Mountains. The race will run through Newton, make two loops around Little Mountain then take Sam Fellow Road to Airport Road and re-enter North Logan for five laps around the city with the finish line at Meadow View Park. Stage two on Aug. 14 will begin in Brigham City in front of the Box Elder County Courthouse. Racers will ride on a 34mile loop around the northern section of the city, then will proceed south on S.R. 89 to Weber County and the North Ogden Divide. The race will run past Pineview Reservoir twice, rolling counter-clockwise with laps through Huntsville on State Route 39 before making a final push up to Hidden Lake Lodge on the summit of Powder Mountain. On Aug. 14, racers will compete at Antelope Island State Park, starting at Fielding Garr Ranch and heading north to cross the seven-mile causeway and enter West Point, then continuing through Layton, Kaysville, Fruit Heights and Farmington before finishing at North Salt Lake’s Eaglewood Golf Course. The fourth stage of the race is a circuit course in Salt Lake City. The leg will start and finish on East Capitol Boulevard by the Utah State Capitol campus, and will include high-speed descents of North Virginia Avenue and climbs up North State Street. Riders will make eight laps around the 6.7-mile loop between 6 and 8 p.m. Viewing is recommended along City Creek Canyon and Reservoir Park. For more information go to TourofUtah.com. 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