from Horse Player NOW

Chicago, IL — Harness Night School, the racing industry’s national online fan education program dedicated to the Standardbred set, offers an eighth session Thursday (Sept. 6) at 7 p.m. (EDT), with a focus on “Handicapping A to Z/Using Technology.”

Harness Night School is FREE to all users. Set a reminder for Thursday’s session, and enter the chat room here.

Serving as guest chat panelists are Daily Racing Form analyst Derick Giwner, and writer and television personality Dave Brower.

Derick Giwner serves as Managing Editor of the Harness Racing division of Daily Racing Form. He currently oversees the DRF Harness Eye and Daily Harness Program print products, the www.drf.com/harness section of the www.DRF.com website, and manages the DRFHarness Twitter and Facebook pages.

He has worked for Sports Eye/Harness Eye since 1996 and has served as editor of the paper since 2005.

He has worn many hats in the industry, serving as a writer, handicapper, horse owner, amateur driver, track announcer and chart caller.

An avid harness racing fan since age 10, Brower has worked in just about every aspect of the sport in the 33 years since. He has served as a groom, trained horses, operated the race teletimer, worked in public relations, and he was the morning line odds-maker and track handicapper for the Meadowlands Racetrack for 16 years from 1996 to 2011.

Brower co-hosted this year’s Hambletonian broadcast on the CBS Sports Network and appeared on the nightly “Racing from the Meadowlands” television program on SNY, Fox Sports New York, and MSG Networks. He also provided on-site analysis and interviews during TVG’s “Drive Time” with Gary Seibel. He’s joined Dave Johnson and Bill Finley on their Eclipse Award winning “Down The Stretch” on Sirius/XM satellite radio.

Brower also wrote Harnessing Winners: The Complete Guide to Handicapping Harness Races, which was published by Daily Racing Form’s press division in 2009.

Since leaving the Meadowlands, he’s become a social media consultant.

The interactive chat program will be hosted by T.J. Burkett, executive editor of Hoof Beats, the official magazine of the USTA, Tom Kelley, director of publicity and handicapper for Balmoral Park and Maywood Park, and Horse Player NOW’s Joe Kristufek. Kristufek, the co-founder of the Night School program along with Horse Player NOW partner Jeremy Plonk, offers a video introduction to the Night School program.

From the moment they receive a fresh set of past performances, the participants will offer their methods of preparation, handicapping, and eventually wagering on a race card and explain how current technology can enhance the process.

In addition to participating as a chat panelist, Giwner will also present topical insights via video.

Handicapping A to Z/Using Technology Intro with Joe Kristufek and T.J. Burkett Video Link.

Harness Night School Session 8 Study Materials Link.

Harness Night School is FREE to all fans, and no advanced sign-up is required. The 90-minute classes will be held each Thursday at 7 p.m. (EDT) and continue through the Oct. 25 Breeders Crown Preview. A different handicapping subject will be featured weekly as well as a look at the weekend’s major harness races on the USTA’s Strategic Wagering schedule.

Title sponsor for Harness Night School is the United States Trotting Association, in conjunction with presenting sponsor and content provider Daily Racing Form. Harness Night School’s supporting sponsor is Meadowlands Racetrack.

Founded by Horse Player NOW’s Joe Kristufek and Jeremy Plonk, the Night School brand has provided fan education courses throughout the racing industry over the past 17 months and has been viewed live or in archives by more than 400,000 racing enthusiasts from newbies to hardcore handicappers.

Harness Night School runs separately from the regular Tuesday editions of Night School. The Harness Night School classes will be available at three websites for the initial season — www.ustrotting.com, www.drf.com and www.horseplayernow.com. Each week, fans will receive free, downloadable study materials and be eligible to win prizes by simply registering. The courses are free to anyone from any computer.

Following each Thursday night edition of Harness Night School, fans will be directed to www.drf.com for an “After Night School Special” featuring live racing video from top national tracks such as the Meadowlands and Yonkers, as well as expert live commentary, interactive fan chats, free giveaways and more. Fans are encouraged to join the e-mail list at www.Horseplayernow.com for updated news.

Upcoming Topics

Sept. 6 (Thursday) 7 p.m. (EDT) – Handicapping A to Z/Using Technology
Sept. 13 (Thursday) 7 p.m. (EDT) – Track Configurations
Sept. 20 (Thursday) 10:45 a.m. (EDT) – Little Brown Jug Field Trip
Sept. 27 (Thursday) 7 p.m. (EDT) – Understanding Pools and Odds