Tag: The Biz

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) has announced that FanDuel will be joining John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club as presenting sponsors of the 53^rd Annual Eclipse Awards, honoring Thoroughbred racing's champions of 2023, which will be held Thursday, January 25, 2024, at The Breakers Palm Beach in Florida.

“We are extremely grateful to our newest presenting sponsor FanDuel in joining John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club to partner with the NTRA in presenting the Eclipse Awards to the whole of the thoroughbred racing industry,” said Tom Rooney, President and CEO of the NTRA. “Together with our other many supportive partners, we are excited to bring the Eclipse Awards back to the Breakers Palm Beach for the second consecutive year to celebrate another exhilarating year of racing.”

FanDuel will also broadcast live the Eclipse Awards ceremony on January 25.

In addition to the presenting sponsors, many other organizations have pledged their support and are serving as official partners of the event. Official Partners for the event include 1/ST, Breeders' Cup, Churchill Downs Incorporated, Daily Racing Form, Dean Dorton Equine, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association, Hallway Feeds, Monmouth Park, New York Racing Association, Oaklawn Park, Palm Beach Kennel Club and Poker Room, Racetrack Television Network, Rood and Riddle, Spendthrift, Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, and the Thoroughbred Owners of California.

FanDuel Group is an innovative sports-tech entertainment company that is changing the way consumers engage with their favorite sports, teams, and leagues. The premier mobile gaming destination in the United States, FanDuel Group consists of a portfolio of leading brands across sports betting, iGaming, horse racing, advance-deposit wagering and daily fantasy sports. In addition, FanDuel Group operates FanDuel TV, its broadly distributed linear cable television network and FanDuel TV+, its leading direct-to-consumer OTT platform. FanDuel Group has a presence across all 50 states with approximately 17 million customers and 25 retail locations. FanDuel Group is a subsidiary of Flutter Entertainment plc, (LSE: FLTR) the world's largest sports betting and gaming operator with a portfolio of globally recognized brands.

John Deere is the Official Equipment Supplier of agricultural, turf, and construction equipment to the NTRA and Breeders' Cup, and the proud Tractor Supplier of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby. Deere & Company (www.JohnDeere.com) is a world leader in providing advanced products, technology, and services for customers whose work is revolutionizing agriculture and construction — those who cultivate, harvest, transform, enrich, and build upon the land to meet the world's increasing need for food, fuel, shelter and infrastructure. For additional information and savings, contact Equine Benefits at 866-678-4289.

Since its founding in 1936, Keeneland has devoted itself to the health and vibrancy of the Thoroughbred industry. Keeneland plays a prominent role in both breeding and racing, serving as the world's largest Thoroughbred auction house and conducting world-class racing twice annually during its Spring and Fall Meets. In furtherance of its mission, Keeneland reinvests its earnings in the form of higher purses and support of horse industry initiatives and charitable contributions focused on education, research, the arts, and health and human services throughout the Central Kentucky community.

The Jockey Club, founded in 1894 and dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing, is the breed registry for North American Thoroughbreds. In fulfillment of its mission, The Jockey Club (www.jockeyclub.com), directly or through subsidiaries, provides support and leadership on a wide range of important industry initiatives, and it serves the information and technology needs of owners, breeders, media, fans, and farms.

Information about the Eclipse Awards, including host hotels, can be found at https://www.ntra.com/eclipse-awards/. Hotel room blocks will be closing in the coming weeks, so please secure your accommodation soon. Should you have any questions please reach out to Michele Ravencraft at mravencraft@ntra.com.

About The Eclipse Awards

The Eclipse Awards are named after the great 18th-century racehorse and foundation sire Eclipse, who began racing at age five and was undefeated in 18 starts, including eight walkovers. Eclipse sired the winners of 344 races, including three Epsom Derbies. The Eclipse Awards are bestowed upon horses and individuals whose outstanding achievements in North America have earned them the title of Champion in their respective categories. Those awards are voted by NTRA, Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB). Eclipse Awards also are given to recognize members of the media for outstanding coverage of Thoroughbred racing.

About The Breakers Palm Beach

Originally built in 1896, The Breakers remains one of America's legendary resort destinations. Renowned for its seaside glamour and world-class service, the 538-room, Italian Renaissance-style hotel resides on 140 acres of oceanfront property in the heart of Palm Beach. With unapologetic luxury, Resort amenities feature a private beach, four oceanfront pools, five whirlpool spas, 25 luxury beach bungalows and a variety of watersports; a new luxury spa; indoor-outdoor Ocean Fitness center; 36 holes of championship golf, including the Ocean Course and The Breakers Rees Jones® Course; 10 Har-Tru tennis courts; a Family Entertainment Center; an array of on-site boutiques; and nine acclaimed restaurants, with settings ranging from casual beachfront to stylishly sophisticated.

The post FanDuel Joins John Deere, Keeneland, The Jockey Club As Presenting Sponsors Of 53rd Eclipse Awards appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Churchill Downs has announced a new partnership with the British Jockey Club along with Ascot Racecourse to offer a program where horses competing during Kentucky Derby week could receive an entry and travel incentive for races at Epsom Downs and the Royal Ascot meeting.

“This is a really special partnership that will give owners and trainers a great opportunity to run in some of our marquee races during Kentucky Derby week and, in exchange, they could receive entries into some of Europe's most prestigious turf races,” said Gary Palmisano Jr., Executive Director of Racing for Churchill Downs Incorporated. “The Kentucky Derby was born after Colonel Meriweather Lewis Clark visited Europe for the Epsom Derby in 1872. With this being the 150th Kentucky Derby, it is a great chance to revisit history. More recently, we've annually seen some of our country's top turf horses compete on the undercard of the Kentucky Derby and this partnership will give owners and trainers based in Europe a good initiative to bring some of their top horses over to experience Kentucky Derby week. Not only is this a great opportunity for connections based in Europe but this will give our owners and trainers here in North America a shot to compete on the international stage.”

Two races on Kentucky Derby Day will offer horses an entry and travel incentive to run at Royal Ascot in mid-June. The winner of the Old Forester Turf Classic (Grade 1) will receive a berth to either the one-mile Queen Anne Stakes (G1) or 1 ¼-mile Prince of Wales's Stakes (G1). Earlier on the Kentucky Derby Day program, the winner of the Twin Spires Turf Sprint (G2) will receive an entry to the King Charles Stakes (G1).

“We are very excited to be working with Churchill Downs and the UK Jockey Club on this exciting new initiative,” said Nick Smith, Director of Racing and Public Affairs at Ascot Racecourse. “We were very pleased to play our part hosting the Churchill team at Royal Ascot last year, with the Kentucky Derby trophy on display as they built up to this important 150th running of the world's greatest dirt race. We have a rich modern history of American runners at Royal Ascot and their success always adds hugely to the meeting – with NBC covering the event all week, the Saturday on the main network channel, hopefully this new link up of races will add a new dimension to their and ITV's coverage.”

Three-year-old turf specialists in the American Turf (G2) and Edgewood (G2) can receive their entry to either the Betfred Derby (G1) or Betfred Oaks (G1) at Epsom Downs. The winner of the American Turf on Kentucky Derby Day will receive an entry and travel stipend to compete in the Betfred Derby while one day earlier, on Kentucky Oaks Day, the winner of the Edgewood will receive the same benefits for the Betfred Oaks.

“We're delighted to develop these links with races at the Kentucky Derby Meeting in its 150th year,” said Matt Woolston, Assistant Racing and International Racing Director at The Jockey Club. “A trip to Churchill Downs is one that should be on the bucket list for every racing fan, the world over. The Kentucky Derby itself can trace its origin back to Epsom Downs in 1780 when Diomed won the very first Derby and we are proud to reinforce this historic link. We look forward to welcoming American runners to the Betfred Oaks and Betfred Derby. Runners who perform well in the Edgewood Stakes and the American Turf will come to Epsom Downs with a fighting chance and it will be fascinating to see how they fare. These historic races already have an international reputation, and we want to welcome more and more international runners in the years to come.”

In return for the above incentives for horses on Kentucky Derby weekend, a runner from both the Prince of Wales's Stakes and Queen Anne Stakes will receive an entry and a travel incentive to run in the Arlington Million Stakes (G1) in mid-August at Colonial Downs. In addition, a runner from the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes (G1) at Newmarket's July Festival will also receive an entry and travel incentive to run in the Beverly D. Stakes (G1) on the same day as the Arlington Million.

The post Kentucky Derby Week Runners Can Now Earn Opportunity To Compete At Royal Ascot, Epsom appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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When it comes to triple dead heats, most people think of the famous black and white image of the 1944 Carter Handicap, featuring Brownie, Bossuet, and Wait a Bit hitting the wire in full flight together at Aqueduct.

But that isn't the only time it happened.

In fact, at least 20 have taken place since 1940. That's according to a short item published in the Thoroughbred Times on Dec. 13, 1997.

The Times researchers had cause to look this up because on Dec. 7, 1997, there was another. The fourth race at Hollywood Park that day, an $8,000 claimer, was won by Tina Celesta, Chans Pearl, and Cool Miss Ann. The latter two made closing efforts, while Tina Celesta had stalked an early pace set by Foxy Monica in the race, which was seven and a half furlongs on the dirt.

Tina Celesta had been the betting favorite, with Chans Pearl the second choice and Cool Miss Ann 7-1. Chans Pearl was claimed out of the race away from trainer Rick Berry by Melvin Stute.

According to the Times, the finish was only the second triple dead heat on record in California at the time, with the other being July 3, 1957 — also at Hollywood, also in a claiming race.

The fourth race at Hollywood that day wasn't really supposed to be the highlight of the card. You'd have thought that would be reserved for the race that kicked off the day, the Grade 2 Bayakoa Stakes, where D. Wayne Lukas trainee Sharp Cat won in a walkover – the first known walkover in a major stakes in 17 years. Two other fillies – both trained by Ron McAnally –  had been entered against the daughter of Storm Cat after the other nominees were removed from consideration because of injury or fear of competition.

McAnally scratched both of them, not wanting to run them on a muddy track and pointing toward a 1998 campaign. One of them, the Argentine-bred Toda Una Dama, won the Grade 1 Santa Margarita Handicap three months after the Bayakoa. The other filly scratched by McAnally, Alzora,  a daughter of Seattle Slew, scored her first black type victory two years later in the last of her 23 career starts.

“That's the great thing about racing, you never know for sure what is going to happen,” said Hollywood Park steward Pete Pedersen told the Los Angeles Times that day. “Strange things happen and here you have two incredible things in one day. That's why you're in the business.”

As Stu Slagle noted in a 2017 Paulick Report commentary, all three victorious jockeys got to pose in the winner's circle (in this case winners' circle) after the dead heat, making for a truly unique moment.

Tina Celesta would go on to retire after 41 starts, finishing in the money 17 times for trainer Daniel Azcarate. She embarked on a breeding career in which she produced four foals and two winners.

Two years before her appearance in the triple dead heat, Chans Pearl placed in the Miss Yakima Handicap and was third in the Yakima Matron at Yakima Meadows, which shuttered in 1998. She continued in the claiming ranks into the following spring and was sold for $700 at the Barretts October auction. There is no official produce record in The Jockey Club's records for Chans Pearl and it's unclear where she went after Barretts.

Cool Miss Ann, who had a second-place finish in the Humboldt County fair's Les Mademoiselle Handicap to her credit the previous year, also went to the breeding shed, where she produced 11 foals, six winners. One of her foals, Kool Suggestion, finished third in the Ken Maddy Sprint and Sam Whiting Memorial Handicap.

The post This Week In History: A Triple Dead Heat appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Hong Kong Jockey Club's Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges has praised the 2023 Longines Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) as “one of the best days of racing” Hong Kong has hosted.

 “In my humble opinion, I've been here now for 25 years and this was one of the best – if not the best – days of racing we have had in Hong Kong,” Engelbrecht-Bresges said.

“If I look at the situation after Covid, after we had last year already a good meeting, but today Hong Kong racing has established (itself) again on the global stage and has shown what sporting entertainment means.

A crowd of 65,252 – the largest Longines HKIR attendance since 2019 – flocked to Sha Tin.

On a day when Hong Kong racing shone on the international stage as local champions – Lucky Sweynesse (Hong Kong Sprint), Golden Sixty (Hong Kong Mile) and Romantic Warrior (Hong Kong Cup) – won three of the four elite Group 1 contests, France also extended its successful association with the “Turf World Championships” with Junko (Hong Kong Vase).

“When you look at the sporting performances, it was a fantastic win by Junko and Andre Fabre, who is one of the greatest supporters of Hong Kong racing,” Engelbrecht-Bresges said.

 Engelbrecht-Bresges thanked international and local owners, trainers and jockeys as well as Club staff for the staging of an unforgettable meeting.

 “I would like especially to thank the connections, because this would not be possible without the tremendous support from horsemen around the world,” Engelbrecht-Bresges said.

 Addressing Hong Kong's effort to win three of the four HKIR Group 1s for the second year in a row, Engelbrecht-Bresges said: “We had a sprint race where we had the best sprinter in the world (Lucky Sweynesse) establish himself after there was doubt. And I have witnessed this year two absolutely amazing performances, if you look at Equinox in Dubai and I had the pleasure to see Equinox in Japan.

 “I'm not saying the performance of Golden Sixty is the same as Equinox, but in the Mile I have very seldom seen the performance of a horse, an 8-year-old first time up drawn gate 14, and it was an absolutely brilliant ride by Vincent (Ho).

 “There was a lot of doubt how it would play out and it was a tactical masterpiece how the horse was positioned. When the horse accelerated, when you could hear the crowd cheering for the local champion, this was something which, in my view, was unforgettable.

 “Then probably the most exciting 2000m race (Hong Kong Cup) I have seen this year. Similar to the Cox Plate, where you had really top horses fighting it out at the top of the straight. That a Hong Kong horse (Romantic Warrior) won is good, but when you look at the form of Luxembourg, again sporting wise it was a fantastic performance.”

 Hong Kong Jockey Club Executive Director, Racing Andrew Harding described Sunday's race meeting as “truly remarkable” with Ho's Longines International Jockeys' Championship as one of several highlights of the week.

 “The week indeed has had so many remarkable threads. I take Vincent's victory on Wednesday night (Dec. 6) in a field of literally superstars and it speaks to the depth of the Club's commitment to developing local talent,” he said.

 “We were proud of what we were able to achieve during the dark days of the pandemic. Today showed that in December Hong Kong is the place to be and that the eyes of the racing world turn to us.

 “I'm just so proud that we were able to show the world that Hong Kong is Asia's world city and we were able to give our visitors a fantastic week.”

Engelbrecht-Bresges thanked Club staff in staging the flagship meeting and for allowing Hong Kong to shine.

“We have a team dedicated to excellence and that makes the Jockey Club proud. It has shown today and the whole week that Hong Kong is back on the global stage and that Hong Kong racing is one of the global racing products which I feel as a city we should be proud of.”

Turnover on the meeting was HK$1.697 billion, which included a commingling turnover record for a 10-race Hong Kong meeting of HK$429.6 million.

The post ‘One Of The Best’: Hong Kong Jockey Club Lights Up World Stage With International Races appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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