NBC Sports Group to broadcast various Breeders' Cup preps

Eighteen Breeders' Cup prep races will be televised by NBC Sports Group over a four-month span The Breeders' Cup have announced a new marketing platform that will feature 18 of the best Breeders' Cup Challenge races from top race tracks in the U.S. All races will be broadcast by NBC Sports Group and will be supported by an integrated marketing campaign that will run across NBCUniversal properties as well as Time Inc. properties Sports Illustrated and People.com. The "Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In" consists of 11 telecasts on NBC and NBCSN and features 18 "Win And You're In" races. Winners of these highly prestigious races, which offer more than $13 million in purses and awards, automatically qualify for a spot in the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Santa Anita on October 31 and November 1. The expanded NBC Sports partnership includes multiplatform rights to the Breeders' Cup Challenge races, which will also be featured on NBC's digital and mobile applications. "The Challenge Series is an excellent vehicle to provide fans with a clear path to the World Championships in the fall," said Craig Fravel, Breeders' Cup President and CEO. "We are very pleased to expand our partnership with NBC Sports Group to televise the best races from the top tracks in the country and utilize the unique assets of a broad and diverse media leader such as Time Inc. to provide a variety of custom advertising content under the banner of the Breeders' Cup brand."

Putting the spotlight on premier racetracks across the country, the 2014

series begins on Belmont Stakes Day, June 7, with the Metropolitan Handicap and

the Ogden Phipps from Belmont Park, and continues with live telecasts of

American fixtures including the Haskell Invitational from Monmouth Park, several

races from Saratoga including the Travers, the Pacific Classic from Del Mar, the

Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park, the Shadwell Turf Mile from Keeneland, and

the Gold Cup and Awesome Again at Santa Anita, among others. In addition,

several NBC Sports Regional Networks will present replays of select races after

their initial airings on NBC and NBCSN.

"We are excited to present the new series of Breeders' Cup Challenge

telecasts, which will help to build interest as we move from the Triple Crown

races through the summer and on to the eagerly-anticipated Breeders' Cup World

Championships in the fall," said Jon Miller, President of Programming for NBC

and NBCSN.

To support the new Challenge Series, the Breeders' Cup will be launching a

multi-channel marketing effort that will aim to attract new fans to the

telecasts and sport. Leveraging the Breeders' Cup Celebrity Ambassadors (such as

Kate Upton, Joe Torre, Bobby Flay, Elizabeth Banks and more) along with

interesting and diverse horse owners who are trying to win their way into the

Breeders' Cup, a series of custom content pieces -- to run on SI.com and

People.com -- will provide readers a window into the thrill of horse racing at

its highest level during the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series. Additional

television, print and online media will run across the two Time Inc. properties

as well as NBCUniversal properties, including E!, CNBC, Golf Channel, Esquire

Network and more, to support the campaign and help raise awareness of and

interest in the Challenge Series. A full list of Breeders' Cup Ambassadors can

be found at

www.breederscup.com/experience/celebrity-ambassadors.

Other Challenge platform assets include:

A new web site dedicated to the Challenge Series with unique content and

a team of writers, producers and experts, including NBC Sports Group

personality Randy Moss, focusing on racing, lifestyle and human interest

features from some of the country's most iconic racetracks.

The Breeders' Cup Million Dollar Finish, a national consumer promotion

that will allow fans to play along at home for prizes, will be supported on

NBC Sports Group's multimedia platforms.

An on-site experiential program bringing luxury elements unique to the

Breeders' Cup World Championships to major U.S. racing markets from New York

to Southern California. The View, a private VIP racing experience, and

Champions Terrace, where winning participants can revel in the sweet taste

of victory, may visit Saratoga, Del Mar, Monmouth Park, Belmont Park,

Keeneland and Santa Anita throughout the summer and fall

The Challenge marketing campaign is a key element in the Breeders' Cup's

initiative to expand to a broader audience of influencers and fans in the months

leading up to its signature event, the Breeders' Cup World Championships.

"The Breeders' Cup World Championships has become a premier lifestyle

experience full of fashion, food, entertainment, celebrities and world-class

hospitality for our fans. The enhanced Breeders' Cup Challenge series is the

perfect platform to extend our brand beyond the two-day event in the fall and to

give our sponsors more tools to connect with their target audience," said Drew

Sheinman, Breeders' Cup Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer.

Below is the "Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win And You're In" schedule on

NBC and NBCSN. Breeders' Cup Challenge races are listed in bold (all times EDT).   

June 7 (2:30-7 p.m.)	NBC	Metropolitan Handicap	Belmont Park	Dirt Mile
	NBCSN	Ogden Phipps		Distaff
June 28 (7-8 p.m.)	NBCSN	The Gold Cup at Santa Anita	Santa Anita	Classic
July 5 (5-6 p.m.)	NBCSN	Belmont Oaks	Belmont Park	Filly & Mare Turf
July 27 (5-6 p.m.)	NBC	Haskell Invitational	Monmouth Park	Classic
August 2 (5-6 p.m.)	NBC	Whitney	Saratoga	Classic
		Test		Filly & Mare Sprint
August 23 (4:30-6 p.m.)	NBC	Travers	Saratoga	Classic
		Ballerina		Filly & Mare Sprint
August 24 (8-9 p.m.)	NBCSN	Pacific Classic	Del Mar	Classic
August 30 (6-7 p.m.)	NBCSN	Woodward	Saratoga	Classic
		Forego		Sprint
September 27 (6-8 p.m.)	NBCSN	Jockey Club Gold Cup	Belmont Park	Classic
		Awesome Again	Santa Anita	Classic
		TBD "Win and You're In"
		TBD "Win and You're In"
October 4 (4:30-6 p.m.)	NBCSN	Shadwell Turf Mile	Keeneland	Mile
		Breeders' Futurity		Juvenile
		Thoroughbred Club of America		Filly & Mare Sprint
October 5 (5-6 p.m.)	NBC	Spinster	Keeneland	Distaff
		Bourbon		Juvenile Turf

The complete 2014 Breeders' Cup Challenge schedule will be released later

this week.

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