BREEDERS’ CUP CHALLENGE SERIES TO BE TELEVISED

   Breeders’ Cup and NBC Sports Group have expanded their partnership to televise 18 Breeders’ Cup Challenge races in the U.S. from June until the Breeders’ Cup in November, they announced yesterday. The televised races 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 18 races in the “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In” will take place over 11 telecasts on NBC and NBCSN and will be available on NBC’s digital and mobile applications. The winners of those races will receive an automatic berth to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Oct. 31 – Nov. 1. 
    “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.” 
    The series begins Jun. 7 with the GI Metropolitan H. and the GI Ogden Phipps S. at Belmont Park. 
    “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. 
    The Breeders’ Cup will be utilizing their celebrity ambassadors, as well as horse owners who are trying to win their way into the Breeders’ Cup, in a series of custom content pieces, to run on SportsIllustrated.com and People.com, to attract new fans by giving them a behind the scenes look into horse racing at its finest. NBCUniversal and Time Inc. properties, such as E!, CNBC, Esquire and Golf Channel, will support and raise awareness of the series on their various print and online platforms. 
    “The Breeders’ Cup World Championships has become a premier lifestyle experience full of fashion, food, entertainment, celebrities and world-class hospitality for our fans,” added Drew Sheinman, Breeders’ Cup Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer. “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.” 
    Other additions to the Challenge Series marketing campaign include: a website with unique content, produced by a team of professionals, focused on racing and human interests pieces; the Breeders’ Cup Million Dollar Finish, which allows fans to play along at home for prizes; and an on-site program bringing luxury elements unique to the Breeders’ Cup to major U.S. racing markets from New York to California.