U.S. Claims Multiple H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Awards

Americans were among those honored Mar. 4 at the sixth edition of HH Sheikh Mohammed Horse Racing Excellence Awards at Meydan Racecourse. The ceremony commemorates some of the leading connections who participated at the Dubai World Cup meeting, as well as a pair that were decided by public vote.

“The HH Sheikh Mohammed Horse Racing Excellence Awards were founded in 2017 as an expression of His Highness' love for racing and passion for horses,” said Major General Dr Mohammed Essa Al Adhab, General Manager of Dubai Racing Club. “They recognize the best in the industry, with a nod towards those who have supported our Dubai World Cup meeting, as well as giving racing fans a chance to vote on their favorites through the People's Choice and Best Local Jockey awards.”

French trainer Andre Fabre was given this year's 'Lifetime Achievement Award,' while the popular vote went to Baaeed (GB) for 'People's Choice' and Bernardo Pinheiro for 'Best Local Jockey.'

Here are the American winners:
Best Horse – LIFE IS GOOD
Bred by Gary and May West, the son of Into Mischief sold for $525,000 dollars to China Horse Club at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Life Is Good went on to earn more than $4.5 million throughout his career, which saw him win eight of his 11 starts, including four Grade I races. He finished fourth behind Country Grammar in the G1 Dubai World Cup.

Trained by Todd Pletcher for most of his career, Life Is Good returned to the U.S. and won the GI Whitney H. at Saratoga, which earned him an international rating of 125. That made him the highest-rated horse to come out of the 2022 Dubai World Cup meeting.

Best Owner – WINSTAR FARM and CHINA HORSE CLUB
Winstar Farm and China Horse Club (CHC) combined for joint-ownership of Life Is Good with CHC's Eden Harrington and Morgan Harries representing the partnership.

“These awards acknowledge the exceptionalism of Life Is Good and the phenomenal journey he continues to take China Horse Club and WinStar Farm on,” said Vice President Harrington. “We also congratulate WinStar Farm, with whom we have shared a succession of life changing moments, Todd Pletcher, Irad Ortiz and the entire team involved with Life Is Good. We also look forward to continuing to support horse racing in Dubai in years to come.”

Best Jockey – IRAD ORTIZ
The Eclipse Award winner, Irad Ortiz continues to be one of the most successful in North America over the past decade, and he led all jockeys in Grade I event wins since the 2022 Dubai World Cup meeting.

Best Trainer – TODD PLETCHER
Also the reigning Eclipse Award winner, Todd Pletcher collected 15 Grade I races, making him the most successful to compete at the 2022 Dubai World Cup meeting.

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Italian Operator Sisal Makes Deal To Carry North American Racing Via XB Net

XB Net, the leading provider of premium content for North American horse racing, has finalized a new agreement to provide its US racing content to the powerhouse Italian operator, Sisal.

The deal deploys an extended range of XB Net's live pictures, data and betting services from a peerless network of over 60 North American tracks (over 75 percent of U.S. horse racing) allowing Sisal to flexibly fill its programming timetable with a prolific pipeline of rapid-cycling betting opportunities which are proven to enhance engagement for new and existing fans of the sport.

Sisal is constantly updating its sports-betting services by optimising its user interface across the brand's web and mobile platforms to elevate the customer experience. Its sportsbook is operated in partnership with MST, whose proprietary platform offers clients everything necessary with which to run a responsible betting business across online, mobile and retail.

The daily schedule of engaging content, which neatly complements Italy's domestic racing action, provides Sisal with a reliable source of fast-settling betting content between 18:00 and 05:00 CET. This immersive action is proven to capture and retain the attention of audiences during competitive digital-entertainment cycles, driving new revenue streams across many of the planet's most prestigious horse races. These include the Pegasus World Cup, and two legs of this summer's recent Triple Crown, featuring the Preakness and Belmont Stakes, alongside the season's flagship finale at the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Del Mar (5-6 November).

XB Net is the proven pacesetter for live North American racing content, managing international rights, data, odds and live broadcast and video streaming on behalf of its growing global portfolio of partners. Harnessing low-latency feeds from more than 2,500 meetings, showcasing over 25,000 races per year, North American racing is engaging more and more bettors as worldwide operators plug the gaps on an uncertain sporting calendar.

Currently working with many of the world's leading fixed-odds, spread-betting and commingled wagering companies (such as Flutter Entertainment, bet365, William Hill, Playtech and Entain) XB Net enjoys a growing geographic footprint in mature and emerging markets across Europe, the UK & Ireland, Asia, North and Central America, and Australia.

Massimo Temperelli, Managing Director of Betting at Sisal, said: “During recent lockdowns, our customers soon came to appreciate the fresh excitement and value that US racing brings to their betting experience, providing a trustworthy and regular flow of quick-fire betting opportunities which hit the mark, whether they're interested in watching one race or the entire card.

“Since Italy's daily domestic racing is primed to transition neatly into high-quality evening meetings stateside, top-class 24/7 programming is now the new normal for our players, thanks to this developing collaboration with XB Net and their expertise in wagering solutions. We can't wait to see how these progressive products continue to perform over the forthcoming highlights, like the Breeders' Cup World Championships.”

Simon Fraser, Senior Vice President of International at XB Net, added: “Sisal is a giant brand whose expertise and trademark customer care is best in class. Therefore, it's a perfect moment to partner with their optimised Italian sportsbook, which has quickly embraced the merits and utility of North American racing. While domestic racing is back in full swing in Italy, those players who were drawn to North American racing during the pandemic have mostly been retained which represents another key validation of our product.

“Wherever you set your scene in the world, delivering the right content at peak leisure-times remains paramount during a new era of variability for any sportsbook tab. XB Net's wide range of low-latency racing solutions and racetracks are now ensuring the requisite elasticity for Sisal.”

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