NYRA, America’s Best Racing Announce Extension Of Partnership Through 2023

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) and America's Best Racing have announced an extension of their partnership through 2023. Accordingly, America's Best Racing will continue as a presenting sponsor of both America's Day at the Races and Saratoga Live.

America's Best Racing, created in 2012 as The Jockey Club's multimedia fan-development and awareness-building platform, began its partnership with NYRA and FOX Sports in 2019.

“America's Best Racing is excited to extend its sponsorship partnership through 2023 with NYRA as a co-presenting title sponsor of America's Day at the Races and Saratoga Live,” said Stephen B. Panus, President TJC Media Ventures/America's Best Racing. “The opportunity to spotlight the best of Thoroughbred racing across high-quality linear telecasts and non-linear streaming channels aligns perfectly with the mission of America's Best Racing.”

Broadcast to a national audience on the networks of FOX Sports, America's Day at the Races is the exclusive home of elite thoroughbred racing from Belmont Park and Churchill Downs. In addition, America's Day at the Races provides in-depth live coverage and analysis of thoroughbred racing from a variety of the sport's most prominent venues.

Saratoga Live, the critically acclaimed and award-winning television program produced by NYRA in conjunction with FOX Sports, is in the midst of its sixth season broadcasting the summer meet at historic Saratoga Race Course to a national audience on the networks of FOX Sports with weekend regional coverage on newly named broadcast partner SNY.

NYRA produced nearly 800 hours of national television coverage in 2020, more than doubling its output from 2019, and continues to enhance its programing this year under Tony Allevato, NYRA's chief revenue officer and president of NYRA Bets.

“The continued support of America's Best Racing allows NYRA and FOX Sports to provide new and existing fans with high quality television coverage that allows us to tell the stories that make our sport so special,” said Allevato. “Innovative live television is critical in our efforts to grow the sport, and we thank America's Best Racing for this important partnership.”

For additional information, and the current NYRA television broadcast schedule, visit NYRA.com

The post NYRA, America’s Best Racing Announce Extension Of Partnership Through 2023 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Hot Rod Charlie Dons Blanket Honoring Jake Panus

Jake Panus will not be at his father's side Saturday watching the GI Kentucky Derby. His life ended at an all-too-young 16 last August when he was a passenger in a car involved in a DUI accident on Block Island, just off the coast of Rhode Island. But his friends, his family and a Kentucky Derby trainer have made sure that he will not be forgotten this week at Churchill Downs.

Derby contender and GII Louisiana Derby winner Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) has been equipped with a special blanket honoring Panus, whose father, Stephen, is the president of TJC Media, which produces the America's Best Racing website and content. The blanket features a University of South Carolina logo and Jake Panus's initials on one side and a bear logo on the other, a recreation of a necklace Panus wore.

The South Carolina Gamecock logo is meant to spread awareness for The Jake Panus Walk-on Football Endowed Scholarship, which was set up by the Panus family to provide financial assistance annually for a player who walks on to the South Carolina football team. Entering his junior year in high school at the time of the accident, Panus dreamed of attending South Carolina, his father's alma mater.

“Jake was raised a Gamecock, if you will,” Stephen Panus said. “He grew up watching their games with me, no matter the sport. He certainly identified with college football, which is a big deal in our family. Jake epitomized that walk-on type mentality. He was a gritty athlete and a vocal leader. He was someone people gravitated towards and he had a lot of moxie and hustle on the field as an athlete.”

The younger Panus was visiting with his girlfriend's family when the accident occurred. Some seven months later, the family is doing its best to navigate its way through an unspeakable tragedy.

“We're surviving,” Panus said. “I do these things because it keeps me connected to Jake and it's part of my healing. It is hard, though. It is emotionally draining. I'll take a phone call with someone, talk about it and break up. I cry a lot. My wife (Kellie) is struggling. It's been very hard on her. For a mom who carried a child in the womb, it's probably the most painful thing you can go through.”

By all accounts, the teenager was exceptional in many ways.

“Jake cared about helping people,” Panus said. “He was that kind of kid. People gravitated to Jake and he was a born leader. When he walked into a room, you knew it. He was a big, bright light and always had a smile on his face. He loved to laugh and he made people feel welcome, no matter who they were, friend or stranger. He was there to listen and help.”

Hot Rod Charlie with the blanket honoring Panus | courtesy Stephen Panus

Shortly after Jake's passing, the family established the Jake Panus Memorial Scholarship in partnership with their church, Southport (CT) Congregational Church. During the summer of 2019 Panus participated in a church mission to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where he aided and assisted Native American children. The scholarship provides educational assistance to students from the reservation's Red Cloud High School.

The Panus family also wanted to do something honoring Jake's passion for the University of South Carolina and its sports teams. In late December, the family got a call from head football coach Shane Beamer, who had heard about Jake and the accident and wanted to do something to help. It was soon thereafter that Beamer, the school's athletic department and the Panus family came up with the idea to start a scholarship for walk-on football players.

“I was a walk-on. Those guys are partial to me,” Beamer said. “We [are intent] about trying to find guys and sell them on what a fantastic opportunity this is at Carolina. That will always be a critical aspect of this program; get guys in here as walk-ons, develop them as players and student-athletes and get them on the field.”

Through his work with America's Best Racing and The Jockey Club, Panus had befriended Doug O'Neill. The trainer reached out to the family to tell them he would like to help in some way. When Hot Rod Charlie won the Louisiana Derby, O'Neill knew he had a high-profile Kentucky Derby contender on his hands, which he thought was a perfect avenue to raise awareness for The Jake Panus Walk-on Football Endowed Scholarship.

“He started talking about doing a scholarship in Jake's name and I said 'how can I help?'” O'Neill said. “I wanted to do whatever I could do to help. So we had the blanket made for 'Charlie ' to help promote the scholarship. I knew Jake through Stephen. He was a friend to everyone, whether you knew him well or whether you were a stranger. We need more Jakes in this world. I wanted to help promote the scholarship in Jake's name. I'm proud and honored to have a horse that can help spread the word.”

The bear logo is from a pendant Jake wore as a necklace that symbolized his devotion to helping Native American children. To the Lakota Indians, the bear represents courage, confidence, healing and protection.

Within the first week after the football scholarship was announced, $75,000 had been raised. Thanks to O'Neill, the blanket and the spotlight that shines on the Kentucky Derby, the hope is that they are just getting started.

“What we are seeking to do is to raise awareness and procure donations to help to grow the scholarship fund so it is fully endowed,” Panus said. “We've gotten support from coast to coast and it has been overwhelming. It has been uplifting to us as a family to see people hop on board and understand what we are trying to do, which is to allow Jake to do something in spirit that he intended to do while here with us, which was to attend the University of South Carolina.”

Donations to the scholarship fund can be made here: https://donate.sc.edu/JakePanusScholarship.

The post Hot Rod Charlie Dons Blanket Honoring Jake Panus appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Stay Lucky: $1 Million Grand Prize Offered In America’s Best Racing’s Free App

Stay Lucky, the free-to-download and no-risk mobile app from America's Best Racing (ABR), returns for season five and once again is presented by title sponsor the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The 2021 version of the app also provides fans with full access to all of the digital content at AmericasBestRacing.net and features smoother playability, enhanced speed, and a new prize at level 14, in addition to the compelling grand prize of $1 million for achieving a streak of 20 consecutive wins.

“With a significant portion of Americans using a second digital device while watching TV and adults spending an average of three hours and 43 minutes on mobile devices every day, Stay Lucky has proved to be an effective tool in attracting fans to the sport looking to test their skills and learn how to smartly select winners in Thoroughbred racing's biggest races on a no-risk platform,” said Stephen B. Panus, president of TJC Media Ventures. “We also are thrilled to welcome back the Breeders' Cup World Championships as the presenting title sponsor for the third consecutive year. Season five of Stay Lucky kicks off with the Pegasus World Championships and leads directly to and culminates with Breeders' Cup Saturday from Del Mar Thoroughbred Club on Saturday, Nov. 6, with the Breeders' Cup Classic serving as the final race of the 2021 season.”

Stay Lucky rewards players for correctly selecting winning horses in consecutive races. Prizes are earned when players build streaks of five, seven, nine, 14, 17, and 20 races. The Stay Lucky grand prize is $1 million.

Freshly optimized for 2021, Stay Lucky is available for download on the Apple iPhone App Store for iOS devices and for Android devices on Google Play. Returning players must update to the latest version of the app to commence playing the 2021 season of Stay Lucky.

Fans can learn how easy the app is to download, play, and win with this video tutorial: AmericasBestRacing.net/stay-lucky.

In addition to being the presenting title sponsor of Stay Lucky, the Breeders' Cup World Championships (Nov. 5-6, 2021, at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Del Mar, Calif.) is offering a prize for a streak of 14 consecutive winners of a VIP trip to its annual event.

“The challenge and excitement of picking winners through the Stay Lucky app is a terrific way for fans to get involved in racing's top stakes races — and win prizes — each weekend leading to the Breeders' Cup World Championships,” said Justin McDonald, senior vice president of Marketing for Breeders' Cup. “Along with America's Best Racing, we are continually looking for ways to increase interest for our sport and are proud once again to be the title sponsor of the Stay Lucky app.”

Over the course of the first four seasons of Stay Lucky, a total of 659 prizes were won by fans chasing the so-far elusive grand prize streak of 20 consecutive wins. To date, the longest winning streak has been 12, which was achieved by three different players.

In addition to playing Stay Lucky weekly, users are able to consume ABR content on Stay Lucky, including race previews and analysis, feature articles, tips, and insights on the biggest races designed to help players build their winning streaks.

Stay Lucky was developed by The Jockey Club Technology Services Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Jockey Club.

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