Butler named chief operating officer of 1/ST Racing, will oversee East Coast operations

Aidan Butler, who has overseen the racing operations at Santa Anita Park and Golden Gate Fields in California for the tracks’ parent company for two years, has been named the chief operating officer of the company and will relocate to Florida as part of his new job responsibilities.

Butler, who joined the parent company, The Stronach Group, in 2018, will focus on East Coast racing operations for the company and also will become the president of a new division, 1/ST Content. The Stronach Group has been rebranding its racing assets under the “1/ST” brand for approximately a year.

The Stronach Group owns and operates several major racetracks on the East Coast, including Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., and Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course in Maryland. Butler will work out of Gulfstream Park, The Stronach Group said. Craig Fravel, who was hired in September 2019 as the company’s chief executive officer, will focus on California operations.

As president of the new 1/ST Content division, Butler also will oversee the company’s various account-wagering and simulcasting businesses, including the ADW company XpressBet, the high-roller rebate shop Elite, the simulcast-marketing business Monarch, and the international simulcast-marketing and wagering division, Global Wagering Solutions.

“Aidan and I have been working side by side over the last year and have developed a strong and constructive working relationship,” Fravel said in a press release. Fravel said that Butler’s new positions are a “critical step as we continue to build our company’s forward-thinking and innovative racing and content programs.”

Gulfstream Park’s current operations are overseen by Bill Badgett, and the Maryland operations are overseen by Sal Sinatra. Previously, Tim Ritvo provided oversight for the East Coast operations, but Ritvo left the company in March 2020.