Marketing campaign for Breeders' Cup Classic

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Lexington, KY (Sports Network) - A marketing campaign to increase interest in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic will be undertaken by Breeders' Cup Limited. The 1 1/4-mile Classic is the featured event of the annual Breeders' Cup World Championships.

"While avid racing fans both here and around the world appreciate the championship implications of our event across several divisions, we needed to do more to raise the profile of the Classic and its consistent position as the world's pre-eminent race. The Classic will serve as a gateway to introduce our event and its divisions to new racing fans," said Carter Carnegie, Breeders' Cup Senior Vice President of Sales.

The campaign will attempt to draw interest about race contenders and Breeders' Cup Challenge ("Win And You're In") Classic division races. A horse that wins a "Win And You're In" race automatically gains entry into the Classic.

"This initiative to focus on the Classic is a product of our strategic planning and also an effort to build on the public attention that Zenyatta brought to last year's event," said Tom Ludt, Chairman of Breeders' Cup Limited. "We want to promote the Breeders' Cup Classic to a broader audience of casual racing fans and give them tools to follow the top contenders from now through November."

The Breeders' Cup Challenge races for the Classic are the Hollywood Gold Cup, Haskell Invitational, Whitney Handicap, Pacific Classic, Goodwood Stakes and Jockey Club Gold Cup.

This year's 15-race, $26 million World Championships will take place at Churchill Downs on Friday and Saturday, November 4 and 5.