The National Thoroughbred Racing Association Breeders' Cup Limited, and Television Games Network announced Monday that TVG, the interactive sports television horse racing network and account wagering provider, will sponsor the $1 million Breeders' Cup Sprint at this year's Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships.Under the agreement, TVG will be name-in-title sponsor of the $1 million TVG Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I), contested at six furlongs as part of the $14 million Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships. This year's Breeders' Cup will be held Saturday, Oct. 29, at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., and will be televised live on NBC in the United States and by various networks in more than 150 countries. In its expanded role as an NTRA "marketing partner" TVG will also be title sponsor of the TVG Sprint Division, which includes media and marketing rights in connection with 19 televised sprint races on the "Road to the World Thoroughbred Championships" airing on TVG from mid-June through October.
The TVG agreement is comparable to NTRA's Marketing Partner relationships with Dodge for the Breeders' Cup Classic – Powered by Dodge and Classic Division – Powered by Dodge; with John Deere for the John Deere Breeders' Cup Turf and John Deere Turf Division; with NetJets for the NetJets Breeders' Cup Mile and the NetJets Mile Division; and with Bessemer Trust for the Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Bessemer Trust Juvenile Division, all grade I events. Other NTRA/Breeders' Cup sponsors include Guinness, Fed Ex, Alberto-Culver, Lexmark, Cendant, Grey Goose, and Citgo.
TVG will also produce the "Breeders' Cup Simulcast Show," a live broadcast of all eight Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships races, which is distributed to more than 2,000 off-track and simulcast locations worldwide. TVG will also produce a 30-minute handicapping program during Breeders' Cup week. Last January, TVG produced and distributed the first-ever live telecast of the Eclipse Awards honoring horse racing's champions from Los Angeles.
"We are delighted that TVG has expanded its commitment to the Breeders' Cup and to Thoroughbred racing with its sponsorship of the Breeders' Cup Sprint," said D.G. Van Clief, Jr., president of Breeders' Cup Ltd., and NTRA commissioner. "TVG's reputation as the leader in high-quality television for the racing fan makes it a natural fit in our growing NTRA partnership."
"TVG is proud to bring our television viewers and account wagering customers to the Breeders' Cup Sprint Division series and to be the title sponsor of the $1 million TVG Breeders' Cup Sprint at this year's World Thoroughbred Championships in New York," said Ryan O'Hara, president of TVG. "Providing our viewers with the very best in programming and coverage of racing's most exciting events is what TVG is all about, and partnering with the Breeders' Cup will prove to be memorable for racing fans".
TVG, a subsidiary of Gemstar – TV Guide International, Inc., has exclusive agreements for television and interactive wagering with the following racetracks: Aqueduct, Arlington Park, Belmont Park, Calder, Churchill Downs, Del Mar, Ellis Park, Emerald Downs, Fair Grounds, Fairplex Park, Hollywood Park, Hoosier Park, Keeneland, Los Alamitos, Oak Tree at Santa Anita, Prairie Meadows, Ruidoso Downs, Saratoga Raceway, Saratoga Race Course, Turf Paradise, and Turfway Park.