NYRA And Draftkings Form Betting And Sponsorship Agreement, Includes Travers

DraftKings Inc. and the New York Racing Association, Inc. have made an agreement to establish the digital sports and gaming company as an official betting partner of both Saratoga Race Course and the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, as well as the presenting sponsor of the GI Travers S., the track said in Thursday release.

Under the sponsorship, DraftKings's advance deposit wagering offering–DK Horse–will play a prominent role throughout the festival. Along with the DraftKings Travers, NYRA's new partner will also become the presenting sponsor for the GI DK Horse Acorn S.

Launched in 2023, DK Horse is a standalone app currently available in 20 states and allows eligible customers access to pari-mutuel wagering.

“Bringing DraftKings and DK Horse back to Saratoga for a second consecutive year is a tremendous honor,” said Christopher Cipolla, General Manager, Horse Racing, DraftKings. “Having our branding present throughout the summer at one of the most beautiful and well attended race tracks in all of the world and being named the presenting sponsor of this year's Travers and Acorn further cements our commitment to the sport of horse racing.”

The DraftKings and DK Horse brands will be displayed throughout the Saratoga property beginning in June, with a variety of on-site activations reminding fans of the broad availability of DraftKings products.

“DraftKings is a premier brand within the rapidly growing sports wagering marketplace, and this arrangement will help to introduce world class racing to a wider audience of fans and bettors, “said Tony Allevato, NYRA Chief Revenue Officer. “This will be a tremendously exciting year at Saratoga Race Course, and we thank DraftKings for supporting New York horse racing.”

The post NYRA And Draftkings Form Betting And Sponsorship Agreement, Includes Travers appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

2024 Saratoga Meet Offers 71 Stakes Worth $20.75 Million

Highlighted by the 155th GI Travers S. Aug. 24 and the GI Whitney S. Aug. 3, the 40-day Saratoga meet features 19 Grade I races as part of 71 stakes worth $20.75 million in total purses, the New York Racing Association said concerning the release of the schedule on Friday.

Following the four-day opening week, which starts on Thursday July 11, racing will be conducted five days a week, Wednesdays through Sundays, apart from closing week, when the 2024 summer meet will conclude on Monday, Sept. 2.

Saratoga Live, the television show produced by NYRA in partnership with FOX Sports, will return for its ninth season to provide daily coverage of the summer meet to a nationwide audience on the networks of FOX Sports.

Click here for the complete 2024 Saratoga stakes schedule.

The post 2024 Saratoga Meet Offers 71 Stakes Worth $20.75 Million appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Saratoga Season Passes On Sale March 20

Season tickets and passes for the 2024 Saratoga summer race meet will become available to the general public Wednesday, March 20. The sale, announced by NYRA Monday, will begin at 10am and includes admission along with reserved seating in the clubhouse or grandstand. Season passes grant access to the track for all 40 race days including the GI Travers S. and can be purchased for $95.

“Season ticket plans allow fans to secure some of the best seats in the house for all 40 days of the Saratoga meet,” said NYRA Vice President of Sales Kevin Quinn. “And a season admission pass will pay for itself in fewer than 10 visits for fans looking to enjoy the backyard throughout the summer.”

Racing at Saratoga opens Thursday, July 11 and continues through Labor Day weekend.

The post Saratoga Season Passes On Sale March 20 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Due To Knee Injury, Locked Will Miss Triple Crown

'TDN Rising Star' Locked (Gun Runner), the winner of last year's GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity, has come down with a knee injury that will prevent him from running in the upcoming Triple Crown races. The injury is not considered career-threatening.

The news of his injury was first reported by David Grening of the Daily Racing Form.

Aron Wellman, the managing partner of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, the co-owners of Locked, described the injury as “a very minor ligament fray in the upper part of the left knee.”

Locked was first expected to make his 3-year-old debut in the GIII Sam F. Davis S. at Tampa Bay Downs Feb. 10, but missed that race due to a fever. Plan B was to run in last Saturday's GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream but he was scratched by trainer Todd Pletcher, who was concerned with the way the colt trained the morning of that race.

“The morning of the Fountain of Youth, he didn't train like he normally does,” Wellman said. “He had trained exceptionally well in the weeks leading up to the Fountain of Youth. It was just that morning. It's a tribute to Todd's sharpness and his team for picking up on it. Any other trainer, he probably would have run. With Todd's attention to detail we weren't comfortable sending him over for the Fountain of Youth.”

On Monday, the colt was sent to Dr. John Madison in Ocala, who detected the injury.

“We trained him the day after the Fountain of Youth and he was better, but considering his profile and importance we decided not to take any chances,” Wellman said. “We sent him to Ocala and thanks to the state-of-the-art technology that exists now, they found the problem. No surgery will be required. He just needs time to let it reattach and heal, which is unfortunate because we're off the Classic trail. At the same time, we're thankful to Todd and his team for detecting it early enough so that this horse will still have a future. We're thankful to the vets up in Ocala, including Dr. Madison, who ran him through a body of tests. In the grand scheme of things we were fortunate because they are now able to detect injuries like the one he had. That couldn't have been done in the past.”

 

Wellman said the goal now will be to make the major 3-year-old races run in the summer, including the GI Travers S. at Saratoga.

After winning the Breeders' Futurity, Locked ran third in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. The Fountain of Youth was to be his 3-year-old debut.

“Anybody who is in this game is in it with the dream of having a legitimate contender for the Kentucky Derby and the Classics,” Wellman said. “Locked fit that profile to a tee. We've been fortunate enough to have some legitimate Derby contenders in the past. I was fortunate to be part of the team with Animal Kingdom and Team Valor and we had some other horses who ran respectably in the race. But I don't know that we ever had a horse before who came into their sophomore season with the credentials and the profile that Locked had. We were really confident and had huge convictions that we had the right type of horse to really be effective in the Kentucky Derby at a mile and a quarter. Absolutely, this is a punch in the gut.”

The post Due To Knee Injury, Locked Will Miss Triple Crown appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights