Contact: John Brokopp, 773-242-1121, Ext. 309
jbrokopp@sportsmanspark.com

"POST TIME AT SPORTSMAN’S" TO DEBUT MARCH 1 ON FOX SPORTS NET CHICAGO

Sportsman’s Park Race Track, which launches the 2002 Chicago Thoroughbred horse racing season on Friday, March 1, will bring daily coverage of the sport to an exciting new plateau this season with the premier of Post Time at Sportsman’s on FOX Sports Net Chicago.

The half-hour program will be broadcast every racing day (Friday through Tuesday) at 5:30 p.m. (Chicago time) throughout Sportsman’s live racing season (March 1 through May 4) and will include video tape replays of that day’s races, new and updates, innovative features, and handicapping advice from a team of leading experts. Joe Kristufek, the well-known Thoroughbred handicapper and columnist for the Daily Herald, will host Post Time at Sportsman’s.

"My goal is to take this racing show to the next level," Kristufek said. "I am dedicated to the challenge of making the program more educational and interactive for a broader audience. The spring season is the most exciting time in horse racing. As the 3-year-olds prepare for the Illinois Derby at Sportsman’s and eventually the Kentucky Derby, we’ll be with them every step of the way on Post Time at Sportsman’s."

Regular guests on the program will include Chicago sports personality Tom Shaer, president of Shaer Media, Inc., one of the nation’s leading sports media consulting firms; John G. Dooley, track announcer at Sportsman’s and Arlington; David Gutfreund, nationally renowned handicapping authority; and Liane Davis, locally based Thoroughbred trainer who’ll bring her unique brand of behind-the-scenes racing features to the show.

About the host of Post Time at Sportsman’s, Joe Kristufek:

Joe Kristufek grew up in the shadow of Sportsman’s and Hawthorne in suburban Chicago, Illinois, and has been working in the Thoroughbred industry since 1992. He has been employed by the media divisions of all three Chicago Thoroughbred tracks as on-air handicapper, and was co-host and co-producer of "Post Time Chicago," a daily television show that aired on FOX Sports Net Chicago and WJYS-TV62, from 1994-1999. He was the morning line maker for Hawthorne 1996-1999 and was the instructor of a college level course on horse racing. Joe also worked for the Green Sheet in Chicago, providing selections and daily analysis of races. Joe also served as a full-time host and content coordinator for The Racing Network in Philadelphia. During his tenure at TRN, Joe researched, handicapped, and analyzed top races from around the world. He currently works as a handicapper and columnist for the Daily Herald where he is consistently the leading published handicapper in the Chicago area.

"I’m thrilled to be back in my home town, doing what I love to do," said Kristufek. "Horseracing has been my lifelong passion, and it’s an honor to have this opportunity on FOX Sports Net Chicago. Much of what horse racing is about is wagering. In order to succeed at the betting windows you not only have to be a good handicapper but also a talent scout. It is my goal to make Post Time at Sportsman’s the kind of quality sports program that will accentuate the best of Thoroughbred racing."

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