FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, October 29th, 2018
BREEDERS’ CUP, NBC SPORTS GROUP AND AMERICA’S BEST RACING ANNOUNCE THREE-YEAR BREEDERS’ CUP CHALLENGE SERIES EXTENSION
LEXINGTON, Ky. (October 29, 2018) — Breeders’ Cup and NBC Sports Group today announced a three-year extension of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series, showcasing the best Thoroughbred horse races from around the world whose winners earn automatic entry into the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. As part of the agreement, NBC Sports Group will continue its exclusive presentation of the series across all media platforms through the 2021 season. America’s Best Racing, a multimedia fan development platform created to increase the profile and visibility of North America’s best Thoroughbred racing events, will also continue to serve as the presenting sponsor for the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series for the next three years.
Heading into its 13th year, the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In – Presented by America’s Best Racing consists of high-profile “Win and You’re In” races at some of the world’s most iconic racetracks. As a part of this extension, select Challenge Series races will be televised on NBC and NBC Sports Network, with additional races livestreamed on NBC Sports Digital platforms NBC Sports.com and the NBC Sports app. In 2018, NBC Sports’ 10 live Breeders’ Cup Challenge shows featured more than 20 Win and You’re In races.
“When we partnered with NBC Sports Group in 2014 to launch the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series, we set out to create a defined horse racing season that would allow fans to more deeply engage with the sport while simultaneously building anticipation for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships,” said Craig Fravel, Breeders’ Cup President and CEO. “We’re proud of the program’s success and are thankful to our partners at NBC Sports and America’s Best Racing, not to mention our racetrack and racing association partners worldwide, for their support in bringing the best horse racing to new viewers across the globe. We look forward to continuing to work together to reach even wider audiences in the coming years.”
“We are excited to continue our partnership with Breeders’ Cup, which has delivered outstanding racing throughout the summer and all the way through the Breeders’ Cup World Championships each fall,” said Jon Miller, President of Programming for NBC Sports and NBCSN. “We look forward to presenting exciting racing for years to come.”
“We’re very pleased to extend our agreement, ensuring that America’s Best Racing continues as an official partner of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, the presenting partner of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series on NBC Sports/NBCSN, and as the official fan development partner,” said Stephen B. Panus, President of TJC Media Ventures, Inc. “America’s Best Racing and the Breeders’ Cup will continue to collaborate on creating premium content designed to showcase the best of the sport and lifestyle of Thoroughbred racing. We both share a commitment toward attracting more fans to the excitement and experience of a day at the races.”
More information on the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series, including the complete racing schedule and full list of televised races, will be released in the coming months. For more information, please visit www.breederscup.com/challenge-series/ and stay updated with the latest Breeders’ Cup news by signing up for the email newsletter.
About Breeders’ Cup
The Breeders’ Cup administers the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred racing’s year-end Championships. The Breeders’ Cup also administers the Breeders’ Cup Challenge qualifying series, which provides automatic starting positions into the Championships races. The 2018 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 races (13 Grade 1 events) with purses and awards totaling more than $30 million, will be held November 2-3 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., and will be presented live by the NBC Sports Group. Breeders’ Cup press releases appear on the Breeders’ Cup website, www.BreedersCup.com. You can also follow the Breeders’ Cup on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
About NBC Sports Group
When the Comcast-NBCUniversal transaction was completed in January 2011, the sports assets of the two companies combined to form NBC Sports Group, which serves sports fans 24/7 with premier live events, insightful studio shows, and compelling original programming. The sports media company consists of NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, NBCSN, Golf Channel, NBC Sports Regional Networks, NBC Sports Radio and NBC Sports Digital, which includes NBCSports.com, NBCOlympics.com, GolfChannel.com, the digital assets of the NBC Sports Regional Networks, Rotoworld, the NBC Sports Talk franchise, multiple apps, and two transactional sports businesses, GolfNow and SportsEngine. NBC Sports Group possesses an unparalleled collection of television rights agreements, partnering with some of the most prestigious sports properties in the world: the International Olympic Committee and United States Olympic Committee, the NFL, NHL, NASCAR, PGA TOUR, The R&A, PGA of America, Churchill Downs, Premier League, Tour de France, French Open, IndyCar, Breeders’ Cup and many more.
About America’s Best Racing
America’s Best Racing is a multimedia fan development and awareness-building platform, initiated by The Jockey Club, designed to increase the profile and visibility of North America’s best Thoroughbred racing events with a primary focus on the sport’s lifestyle and competition. You can follow America’s Best Racing at americasbestracing.net as well as on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Google+, Instagram, and Snapchat.
–NBC SPORTS GROUP–
