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FOX Sports and NYRA Announce Landmark Wagering and Media Rights Agreement

FOX Sports and the New York Racing Association, Inc. have announced an expanded partnership agreement that establishes FOX Sports as the official wagering partner of NYRA Bets and the leading media provider for elite Thoroughbred racing through the next decade.

The prior FOX Sports/NYRA media rights agreement provided a FOX Sports subsidiary with an option to acquire a 25% stake in NYRA Bets, LLC, a leading Advance Deposit Wagering platform launched in 2016 and available to customers in 30 states across the country. The FOX Sports subsidiary will exercise this option by the summer of 2021, pending final regulatory approval.

The newly announced agreement provides a FOX Sports subsidiary with a future opportunity to increase its equity interest in NYRA Bets.

As an unprecedented year interrupted live sports around the world, horse racing operated safely and continuously. NYRA Bets achieved record growth in 2020, as new fans engaged with horse racing by watching an unparalleled amount of coverage across FOX Sports' family of networks. Driven by a dramatic expansion in this live television coverage, NYRA Bets generated $225 million in wagering handle in 2020, a more than 100% increase compared to 2019.

“The remarkably rapid expansion of NYRA Bets, and the digital ADW wagering marketplace, make this an ideal opportunity for FOX Sports to deepen and broaden its investment in both premier media rights and the high-growth sports wagering industry. With our investment options in NYRA Bets, FOX is now uniquely positioned as the only media company with strategic stakes in digital bet-taking businesses in horse racing, sports betting, poker and casino gaming,” said Michael Mulvihill, FOX Sports' Executive Vice President, Head of Strategy and Analytics. “We're confident that our television partnership with NYRA will fuel continued growth for NYRA Bets in the years ahead ”

Dave O'Rourke, President and CEO, NYRA, underscored the importance of its partnership with FOX Sports to the sport in New York as well as across the country.

“FOX Sports has shown an unwavering commitment to the sport of horse racing over the past five years,” said O'Rourke. “The strength of our partnership with FOX Sports, and the continued expansion of our high-quality telecasts, has proven to be hugely beneficial for the New York racing community and the sport as a whole.”

The new agreement will extend FOX Sports' television rights with NYRA through 2030 and further expand exclusivity for daily racing at Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course.

Under the new deal, FOX Sports expects to air at least 700 hours of coverage each year from Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course and, outside of prior commitments, gives the network exclusive national broadcast rights at Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course through 2030. NYRA will serve as the production arm for all horse racing events during the term of the partnership.

NYRA and FOX Sports began their collaboration during the first season of Saratoga Live during the 2016 summer meet at historic Saratoga Race Course. The critically acclaimed show, broadcast daily from the grounds of Saratoga, aired 80 hours of live coverage on FS2 and coincided with the national launch of NYRA Bets. Since then, total coverage has grown to more than 700 hours in 2020. The NYRA Bets wagering handle has also grown–from $7.2 million in 2016 to over $225 million in 2020. Wagering through national ADW outlets increased 115% during that same period. Along with Saratoga Live, FOX Sports' NYRA television portfolio includes America's Day At The Races, airing in the spring, summer, fall and select dates throughout the winter racing season.

FOX Sports became the national television home for NYRA's Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course coverage in 2019. That same year, the brand furthered its commitment to horse racing by televising the GI Runhappy Travers to a national audience on the FOX broadcast network for the first time in network history. Following a successful presentation in 2019, the Travers returned to FOX in 2020.

The new FOX Sports/NYRA agreement ensures that the Travers will air LIVE on FOX through 2030.

“NYRA is delighted to extend our relationship with FOX Sports,” said Tony Allevato, President, NYRA Bets. “We look forward to continuing to work closely with the FOX Sports team over the next decade to grow NYRA Bets while continuing to present the very best in horse racing coverage to more sports fans than ever before.”

The agreement does not include the GI Belmont Stakes Racing Festival and the Belmont S.

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Mandatory Payout Of Gulfstream’s Rainbow 6 Scheduled For Florida Derby Day

A mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 is scheduled for Saturday's Gulfstream Park program, which will include 10 stakes, headlined by the $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farm at Xalapa.

Should the popular multi-race wager go unsolved through Friday the pool is expected to swell into the multi-millions.

The Late Pick 5 and the Late Pick 4, both boasting all-stakes sequences, will have guaranteed pools of $750,000 Saturday.

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $1,250,000 Thursday.

The Rainbow 6 went unsolved Wednesday for the 11th racing day in a row since a March 6 mandatory payout. Multiple tickets with all six winners were each worth $6,041.44 Thursday.

The Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot is usually only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day's pool usually goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool. However, on mandatory-payout days, the entire pool is paid out to the bettor or bettors with the most winners in the six-race sequence.

WHO'S HOT: Leonel Reyes continued to be longshot players' best friend, scoring aboard Taamer ($13.20) in Race 1 and Ninetydaysofwinter ($50.60) in Race 4.

The post Mandatory Payout Of Gulfstream’s Rainbow 6 Scheduled For Florida Derby Day appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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FS1 To Provide Live Coverage Of Saturday’s Dubai World Cup

Live coverage of the Group 1, $12 million Dubai World Cup airs Saturday, March 27 at noon Eastern on FS1. The field for the 25th renewal of the Dubai World Cup is headlined by multiple graded stakes winner Mystic Guide and will include a collection of standout runners from around the world.

Coverage of the Dubai World Cup undercard, featuring six stakes races, will air live from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on FS1. The 'Golden Hour' telecast, featuring live coverage of the Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic and Group 1 Dubai World Cup, will air from noon-1 p.m., Eastern on FS1. Coverage of the Dubai World Cup card on FS1 is presented by Star Guitar.

Rishi Persad, Tom Stanley and Angus McNae will be hosting the action from London, while Nick Lightfoot and Bernard Condren will bring viewers all the latest from Meydan Racecourse. The race call will be provided by Craig Evans. Laffit Pincay III will offer stateside updates live from Aqueduct Racetrack.

Scheduled post time for the Dubai World Cup is 12:50 p.m. Eastern.

The Dubai World Cup, to be contested at 10 furlongs at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, will feature a full field of 14 horses.

Godolphin homebred Mystic Guide earned a 108 Beyer Speed Figure last out with a six-length score in the Grade 3 Razorback Handicap on February 27 at Oaklawn Park in his seasonal debut.

The 4-year-old Ghostzapper chestnut, out of the multiple Grade 1-winning A.P. Indy mare Music Note, captured the Grade 2 Jim Dandy last summer at Saratoga Race Course. He completed his campaign with a runner-up effort to Happy Saver in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park.

Luis Saez will pilot the Michael Stidham trainee from post 6.

Grupo 7C Racing Stable's Jesus' Team finished a closing second last out in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational on January 23 at Gulfstream Park. Trained by Jose D'Angelo and to be piloted from post 9 by Joel Rosario, Jesus' Team finished third in last year's Grade 1 Preakness at Pimlico Race Course ahead of a runner-up effort in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland.

Thumbs Up Racing's Sleepy Eyes Todd, a 5-year-old son of Paddy O'Prado, boasts a record of 18-8-2-0 with purse earnings in excess of $1.8 million. Trained by Miguel Silva, the versatile Sleepy Eyes Todd enjoyed a productive 2020 with wins in the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic at nine furlongs and the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector going seven furlongs at Gulfstream Park.

Sleepy Eyes Todd, fifth last out in the Group 1 Saudi Cup, will exit post 10 under Alexis Moreno.

Charles Fipke homebred Title Ready enters from a rallying score in the Grade 3 Louisiana on January 16 at Fair Grounds Race Course. The Dallas Stewart trainee boasts a record of 25-5-6-4 with purse earnings of $656,680 and will be ridden by Ryan Moore from post 4.

International stars in the Dubai World Cup field include Chuwa Wizard [post 3, Keita Tosaki], who was named Japan's best dirt horse of 2020, and Salute the Soldier [post 11, Adrie de Vries], who won the Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 last out at Meydan.

In addition to the Dubai World Cup, the Golden Hour telecast will include live coverage of the Group 1, $5 million Dubai Sheema Classic [12:10 p.m.] featuring multiple Grade 1 winner Channel Maker, the reigning Champion Turf Male trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott.

A loaded 10-horse field for the 12-furlong turf test includes Mishriff [post 10, David Egan], last-out winner of the Group 1 Saudi Cup on dirt.

The Dubai World Cup undercard will air live from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on FS1 and feature six stakes races including the Group 2, $750,000 Godolphin Mile; Group 2, $750,000 Dubai Gold Cup; Group 1, $1 million Al Quoz Sprint; Group 2, $750,000 UAE Derby; Group 1, $1.5 million Dubai Golden Shaheen; and Group 1, $4 million Dubai Turf.

Free Equibase-provided past performances are available for races that are part of the broadcast and can be accessed at https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

The post FS1 To Provide Live Coverage Of Saturday’s Dubai World Cup appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Illinois Racing Board Member Criticizes Churchill For ‘Shortsighted,’ ‘Self-Defeating’ Decision To Sell Arlington

One member of the Illinois Racing Board, author and journalist Alan Henry, had a lot to say about Churchill Downs Inc.'s decision to put Arlington Park up for sale at the monthly board meeting. According to the Chicago Daily-Herald, Henry called CDI's refusal to sell the property to another racing entity “a shortsighted and self-defeating posture” that would irreparably tarnish the company's brand.

“While CDI's stock is currently riding high, the corporate graveyard is full of companies whose leaders lost sight of their brand and in doing so lost the loyalty of their customers,” Henry said. “In the long run, the company that trumpets its bond to horse racing and wants to keep the brand in good standing across all its platforms has to respect current horseplayers and keep attracting new ones. To do that, you've got to honor the horse and the horsemen and mean it, and that starts by keeping tracks open, not closing them down.”

Henry referenced CDI's shut downs of California's Hollywood Park and Florida's Calder Race Course, adding that CDI now sees Arlington as “disposable” in an effort to protect the nearby CDI-owned Rivers Casino.

CDI announced the sale of Arlington on Feb. 23, 2021, indicating that it would host live racing at the Illinois track through the 2021 season, which is scheduled to end on Sept. 25.

Read more at the Chicago Daily-Herald.

The post Illinois Racing Board Member Criticizes Churchill For ‘Shortsighted,’ ‘Self-Defeating’ Decision To Sell Arlington appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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