Where Winners Are Born: Gulfstream Park Is Ready for 75th Florida Derby With Sellitto Video Systems Powering In-House Broadcast, Venue Video

From 14-camera coverage to official review from Variant Systems Group, Sellitto Video Systems delivers a production ecosystem for a premier horse-racing venue

In thoroughbred racing, the road to the Kentucky Derby - and perhaps even the Triple Crown - runs straight through South Florida.

Saturday marks the 75th running of the Florida Derby, one of the sport's most important prep races and a proving ground for future champions. It is one of the biggest weekends on the calendar at Gulfstream Park, one of the nation's premier racing venues.

The numbers tell the story: 46 starters from this race have gone on to win 62 Triple Crown races, including 26 Kentucky Derbys. For 3-year-olds chasing a place in racing history, the Florida Derby serves as a final audition. For the team behind the cameras, it represents the culmination of months of sustained, day-in/day-out production at one of North America's busiest racetracks.

At Gulfstream Park, one of the nation's premier thoroughbred-racing tracks, Sellitto Video Systems runs all video operations, including broadcast, in-venue, and official review. (Photos: Sellitto Video Systems) This is our universe here, says Guillermo Burgos, VP, operations, Sellitto Video Systems (SVS), the production company responsible for overseeing all video operations across the venue year-round. It's such a big venue, and we're responsible for everything - from the broadcast to the in-venue displays to the officiating systems.

Full-Service Production Operation - Every Day

At Gulfstream Park, SVS isn't just a production vendor; it's the backbone of the entire video ecosystem. On any given race day, the team executes a hybrid production model that blends broadcast coverage, in-venue presentation, and facility-wide AV operations into a single, unified workflow.

That operation includes a 12- to 14-camera complement (with roughly eight active at any given time) supported by a daily crew of 15-18. Working out of a dedicated onsite control room, the team produces live coverage of every race for distribution to broadcast partners, casinos, and wagering platforms, including FanDuel (formerly TVG). Gulfstream's signal is distributed globally across racing networks and betting outlets, reaching audiences and wagering markets around the world.

Anywhere there's a racetrack, Burgos says, they're probably betting on us.

Beyond the broadcast, SVS is responsible for the entire in-venue video experience - from the large infield board to six LED displays positioned throughout the facility - as well as audio systems, photo-finish technology, and official race review.

That end-to-end responsibility raises the stakes, adding both pressure and precision to every frame captured.

Scaling Up for the Florida Derby

Although Gulfstream Park operates year-round, its championship season -December through late March - builds toward marquee events like the Florida Derby. For those weekends, SVS scales up. Additional engineers, camera operators, and equipment are brought in to meet the increased demands, including collaboration with national broadcasters like NBC Sports.

Gulfstream Park's video infrastructure is centered in a control room on the track's grounds.Unlike the Pegasus World Cup, for which NBC Sports deploys its own full production compound, the Florida Derby relies on SVS's infrastructure. The team provides multiple camera feeds via IP transmission (including iso feeds) to NBC's remote production teams, who integrate them into their national broadcast.

One of my producers will be on the phone with their producers, Burgos explains. They're calling for specific shots, and we're following along with our cameras.

It's a REMI-style workflow - but one built on trust, communication, and deep familiarity with the venue.

A Broadcast That Never Stops

A typical race day at Gulfstream Park is a marathon. Crews arrive early - often working eight to 10 hours - to prepare for a live-broadcast window that can stretch 4 to five hours nonstop. And, unlike many sports, the action doesn't pause between races.

Instead, there is a constant flow of content: live racing coverage, paddock shots as horses prepare, talent segments with handicappers analyzing races, replay packages from previous performances, and betting insights and predictions.

It's a lot of dancing around what's going on, Burgos says. You're covering the paddock, the track, the presenters. Everything is happening at once.

The paddock, in particular, requires a different production mindset. Cameras operate in close proximity to animals, demanding both technical precision and situational awareness from operators.

It's a different environment, Burgos notes. You have to know how to move around.

Where Broadcast Meets Officiating, Enter Variant Systems Group

In horse racing, production isn't just about telling the story. It's also about determining the outcome. Every race is subject to review, with stewards responsible for evaluating potential infractions that could impact results, payouts, even careers. At Gulfstream Park, that responsibility is supported by the Envivo Review platform from Variant Systems Group.

The system serves as the official judicial replay engine, allowing stewards to analyze races using synchronized multi-angle playback, slow motion, zoom, and specialized viewing modes.

That's a really big deal for us, Burgos says. They need to be able to manipulate those angles - zoom in, go frame by frame - to make the right call.

Selitto Video Systems relies on replay technology from Variant Systems to ensure accurate results in critical situations.Unlike traditional replay workflows that rely on production teams, Envivo Review is designed for non-broadcast users, enabling stewards to operate i

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2026/03/27/where-winners-are-born-gulfstre...
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