Breeders' Cup, Maker's Mark partner for charity

"We couldn't be more excited about this partnership with

Maker's Mark," said Craig Fravel, president and CEO of the Breeders' Cup. "We

reached out to Maker's Mark on the very day we announced this year's World

Championships would be at Keeneland because of the brand's roots here and the

esteem in which Maker's Mark is held all over the world. That makes them a

perfect partner, and it's a milestone for the Breeders' Cup, illustrating the

evolution of the event."

The five limited-edition Maker's Mark bottles will

represent A.P. Indy, Cigar, Lure, Personal Ensign and Zenyatta, and be colored in

the silks their respective jockeys wore during their illustrious careers.

Three

of the bottles -- A.P. Indy, Lure and Personal Ensign -- will be released this fall,

just before the Breeders' Cup World Championships at a ticketed event held at

Keeneland on October 29. The event, "Champions for Charity," will

be held in the VIP Maker's Mark Bourbon Lounge at Keeneland, an upscale area

designed to be the go-to, on-site social locale at the track during the week.

Attendees at the event will have the opportunity to bid on the bottles through a

silent auction, with 100 percent of the donations going to the following organizations

through Breeders' Cup Charities: Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation,

Kentucky Horse Park Foundation, The Lexington Cancer Foundation, The Race

for Education, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and University of Kentucky

Markey Cancer Center Foundation.

The fourth bottle featuring Zenyatta will be released in 2016 and the fifth, featuring Cigar, in 2017.

To further

personalize the bottles, connections of the five champions will pre-sign each of

their respective bottles.

To attend the party with the auction of the Maker's

Mark Breeders' Cup-themed bottles, please visit

https://www.breederscup.com/champions-for-charity or call 859-514-9428.

"This is a great partnership all around for us," Maker's Mark Chief Operating

Officer Rob Samuels said. "When my grandparents created Maker's Mark, Keeneland

was their first customer and many of their friends were in the Thoroughbred

industry. So we've always had a soft spot for charities connected with the

sport. And what an honor to be part of such a prestigious event as the first

Breeders' Cup ever to take place at Keeneland."

Beyond the fundraising bottle event and being involved with

all the week's activities, Maker's Mark will also be promoting the Breeders' Cup

in various off-premise market locations. As part of the multi-year partnership,

Maker's Mark will be closely involved with the World Championships when it

returns to Santa Anita in 2016 and for its debut at Del Mar in 2017.

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