The Breeders’ Cup is capitalizing on the expected running of American Pharoah in the Breeders’ Cup Classic by bringing in new sponsors for the October event.
It has signed Churchill Downs Inc.’s betting subsidiary as its official wagering partner in a multiyear deal in which one of its championship races will be renamed the TwinSpires.com Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
TwinSpires.com becomes the only advanced-deposit wagering company with signage at the Breeders’ Cup and advertising on NBC and NBC Sports Network’s broadcasts of the races on Oct. 30 and 31. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
TwinSpires.com replaces Xpressbet.com as the official partner and as title sponsor of the $1.5 million sprint race. Xpressbet.com is owned by The Stronach Group, which owns several racetracks around the U.S., including Santa Anita Park, where the Breeders’ Cup was held in 2013 and 2014.
Keeneland Race Course, the host site of this year’s Breeders’ Cup, is based in nearby Lexington, Ky., and is independently owned.
The agreement still allows all competing advanced-deposit wagering companies to accept wagers on the races, but only TwinSpires.com will be able to use the Breeders’ Cup platforms, including digital and media outlets, said Bryan Pettigrew, Breeders’ Cup senior vice president, marketing and sponsorship.
“They are going to work with us on creating some promotions aimed at attracting new fans to the sport and, ultimately, fans that will become their customers,” Pettigrew said.
Pettigrew added that there were multiple advanced-deposit wagering companies bidding on the sponsorship and some of the interest was generated by American Pharoah winning the Triple Crown earlier this year.
American Pharoah is expected to run in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, a 1¼ mile race that is the finale of the two-day championship event. The TwinSpires.com Breeders’ Cup Sprint will be run at six furlongs earlier that day.
Ian Williams, vice president of marketing for TwinSpires.com, said that American Pharoah is a key reason the company was interested in the sponsorship, as the horse has attracted casual fans to the sport. He also said the ad exclusivity on NBC’s coverage was another major attraction to the sponsorship.
“We are the ADW exclusive, which means we lock out anybody else in the industry from having TV ads,” Williams said. “Nobody else can advertise on NBC or the channels these races are on.”
If American Pharoah runs as expected, he will be the first Triple Crown winner to run in a Breeders’ Cup race.
“It’s going to have the biggest audience it ever had or ever will have with a Triple Crown winner,” Williams predicted.
