NTRA Launches $10,000 Breeders' Cup Online Challenge

The Breeders' Cup Challenge, an Internet- and e-mail-based sweepstakes to promote the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, was launched Sept. 18 at ntra.com. The promotion offers participants the opportunity to win a guaranteed $10,000 grand prize for selecting the most correct winners among the eight Breeders' Cup races at Arlington Park on Oct. 26.

Four berths to next January's Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship will also be awarded through a special "Head2Head" competition that will be contested over a four-week period. More than 50 additional prizes will be awarded to fans, based on the number of winners they select.

For the "Head2Head" phase of the competition, users will be presented with a series of "Match-up" style wagers, whereby two horses are isolated and matched-up against one another within selected races prior to the World Thoroughbred Championships. The competition is intended to educate consumers on the new "Head2Head" wager that will be part of the wagering menu for this year's Breeders' Cup races.

For each race, users select which horse they think will finish better than the other in that given race. There will be approximately 20 "Head2Head" races in this phase of the competition, beginning the weekend of Sept. 21, and running through Oct. 13. Users will accrue points based on their "Head2Head" selections, with one point awarded for each correct selection. The top four finishers at the end of the competition will be sent to Las Vegas to compete against the best handicappers in the country and over $200,000 in prize money in the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship.

Shortly after the Oct. 23 post-position draw for the World Thoroughbred Championships, the "Pick Eight" phase of the contest will begin. Users then must make one win selection in each of the eight Breeders' Cup races by 1 p.m. (EDT) on Oct. 26. The individual making the most correct selections will receive $10,000, with tiebreakers utilized in the event of a tie.

The promotion will be advertised through Internet media, including espn.com, sportsline.com, and other mass consumer sites; "The Road to the World Thoroughbred Championships" telecasts on the ESPN networks; as well as through banner ads on ntra.com, breederscup.com and Daily Racing Form's site, drf.com. NTRA Productions will handle development, database and e-mail campaign management.