Breeders' Cup announces free online fantasy game

The Breeders' Cup, in collaboration with Thoroughbred leadership group Vision

2020, announced Tuesday the launch of Fantasy 'Capping, a free-to-play online

fantasy game that spotlights 12 of North America's biggest horse races leading

up to the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The game concludes with the $5

million Breeders' Cup Classic on November 3 at Santa Anita.

Like the successful fantasy models employed by professional football and

baseball, Fantasy 'Capping is designed to spur competition by allowing

participants to compete against friends in small, competitive leagues. Those

that want to take on outsiders also have the option of joining public leagues.

While individual league prizes will be left up to league members to decide, a

global leader board will keep track of the top Fantasy 'Cappers in the country

and reward them with everything from cash, to iPads to Breeders' Cup

merchandise. The concept for the game was developed and tested in 2011 by Vision

2020 and is designed to help attract new fans to the sport by providing them

with a fun, simple and stimulating way to follow the biggest races in America on

a weekly basis.

Each week, Fantasy 'Capping players will be provided the information needed

to handicap that Saturday's race, including a write-up of contenders, a history

of the track and race, race past performances and links to outside articles

pertaining to the race. Using that information, contestants will have the

opportunity to place one of four "Fantasy Wagers" on the featured race: $20 to

Win, $20 to Place, $20 to Show or a $10 Exacta Box ($20 total). Total "Fantasy

Earnings" within the game are determined by the actual race results and payouts.

Following the conclusion of each Saturday's race, participants will receive an

e-mail link to watch the race replay in case they were unable to view it live.

League standings and the global leader board will be updated immediately once

the race is pronounced official.

"Fantasy 'Capping provides fans and newcomers an engaging environment to

compete against their friends on the road to the Breeders' Cup, while

familiarizing themselves with the racetracks and personalities that make our

sport so exciting," said Justin McDonald, Senior Director of Marketing & Digital

Media for the Breeders' Cup. "We are thrilled to be able to build upon the

concept developed by Vision 2020 and share their desire to attract a new,

younger fan base to our sport."

Registration is now open at

www.fantasycapping.com

and will remain open up until the start of the Breeders' Cup on November 2. The

Fantasy 'Capping season officially starts with the Whitney Handicap at Saratoga

on August 4, but fans can create or join a league at any time before

registration closes on November 2.

"We all know what a great sport we have, but we also know it can be

intimidating at first for those who don't have a background in horse racing. For

that reason, Vision 2020 set out to design a fantasy game that would be simple

enough to attract new fans to the sport while also exciting enough to keep their

interest week by week," said Bret Jones, Breeders' Cup Director and a steering

committee member of Vision 2020. "The Breeders' Cup took this concept and ran

with it, and they should be applauded for working hard to attract the new,

youthful fans that our sport so desperately needs."

Fantasy 'Capping was developed by Salted Stone, a digital agency in Monrovia,

California, and is compatible with web browsers and mobile devices.

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