Fred Maas’ passion for horse racing has taken him to racetracks throughout the country and as far away as Ireland and Hong Kong. And now his love for the sport has led to his appointment to the California Horse Racing Board by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.
It won't take long for Maas to get up to speed in the regulation of horse racing. He’s already on top of most of the important issues. He routinely reads the trade publications and online reports along with blogs to gain more personal perspectives.
“In 20 years, there might be five daily print newspapers left in the U.S., and The Daily Racing Form will be one of them,” he predicted. “I'm interested in what everyone has to say. I go to some of the off-track betting locations for some of the big out-of-state races...and when you spend a few hours there, you can't help but talk to people. I haven’t done focus groups, but I pay attention.
“Racing enjoys an important audience of folks in seersucker suits and fancy hats, drinking champagne. But most racing fans are wearing flip-flops; they have the Form in one hand and a beer in the other. One of the industry’s primary challenges is to continue to understand and appreciate the average bettor, and to convey to them the challenges horse racing faces nationally. Chief among the challenges is the health and safety of horses and the education of both the fan and the disinterested about how much is actually being done to that end, especially in California.”
He also said racing needs to connect with and entertain larger demographics: “We have to reach out even more to the biggest sector of potential customers -- the Millennials and Gen Xers. For them, a day at the races can be entertainment, not just a sport or place to wager intelligently.”
Maas’ fascination with horse racing began when he was young. He grew up in Rochester, New York, and the family made regular summer outings to Finger Lakes. He kept going back.
“I've been a turf club member at Del Mar for the better part of 20 years. I’ve spent many weekend mornings at Del Mar drinking coffee and watching the horses train,” he said.
"For many years, I had a second home on Long Island in Roslyn, about 10 miles from Belmont Park. There’s a steakhouse and gin mill there -- Bryant and Cooper. The bartenders are all big-time horseplayers. Many of the jockeys and trainers hung there. Smith and Stevens, Pletcher and Frankel and Shug McGaughey. I’ve met too many to remember them all.
“I've lost count of the times I've been to Belmont -- and I don't know how many Belmont Stakes -- War Emblem, Smarty Jones, Big Brown, and, of course, California Chrome and American Pharoah. I’ve been to the BCS, prizefights, the Super Bowl, most of the major sporting events. Nothing is more exciting than the two-and-a-half minutes when a horse is competing for the Triple Crown. Nothing. People stayed in the stands for 40 minutes after Pharoah’s historic run. No one wanted to leave. It was awe inspiring.”
Maas started out in politics in Washington, D.C., after graduating cum laude from Syracuse University College of Law. That led to a real estate consulting practice specializing in public affairs, community relations, and crisis management. One of their clients was the PGA Tour, which in turn led him to another firm developing residential and resort communities featuring the Tour. That took him to San Diego and Los Angeles, where he led an effort to develop Bob Hope’s property in the Santa Monica Mountains. In San Diego, he built a 5,000-home, award-winning community known as Black Mountain Ranch, site of the Santaluz community, among others. His tenure in public service as the Chairman and CEO of San Diego's Centre City Development Corporation led to his work with several San Diego mayors. Maas currently is the Executive Chairman of MRV Systems LLC, a manufacturer of marine robotic vehicles providing underwater solutions for the scientific, oceanographic and defense communities.
“Like so many opportunities in my life, work has allowed me to practice in areas I care deeply about, and hopefully, make a difference,” he explained. “We are committed to protecting the ocean. Our underwater vehicles help monitor the temperatures, currents, salinity and chemistry of the world’s oceans -- critical information for climate and oceanographic research, with some rapidly growing weather and defense applications.”
The common thread through an otherwise circuitous business career has been the “confluence of politics, business, sports and the environment,” and Maas said the CHRB fits right into that pattern: “I hope I can bring a horseplayer’s point of view, even though I'm not a huge gambler. I'm a 10-cent superfectas guy. In races where I don’t like the favourite, with nine or more horses, I’ll box six horses for $36. If the top betting choices run their races, that usually means I lose money, but when they don’t, the payoff can be rewarding.
“I am fascinated by handicapping races. It’s ‘Moneyball’ for horses. For years I've been traveling to Saratoga with my D.C. pals, usually on Jim Dandy weekend. We study the Form from nine in the morning until the last race at Del Mar. It’s like a Bible study group for scoundrels. And when we win, well, imagine finishing the New York Times’ crossword puzzle and getting paid for it.”
(CHRB)