Breeders' Cup to air live in Britain

For the first time, all eight Breeders' Cup races will be shown live in the United Kingdom this year over a service called Attheraces, a bet-taker and racing channel available over basic cable in Britain.

Attheraces was launched in June this year to broadcast British racing. The service, available in six million households, plans to begin offering U.S. racing broadcasts in mid-October, several weeks before the Oct. 26 Breeders' Cup, according to Scott Finley, the company's U.S. marketing representative.

Finley said that the service has yet to sign up any U.S. tracks, but that he was hopeful to reach agreements with several tracks at an industry simulcasting conference in Miami from Sept. 23-25.

Attheraces plans to take British bets on U.S. simulcasts and the Breeders' Cup over the telephone and Internet, Finley said. The bets will be commingled into U.S. pools through a hub in Ireland.

In addition to England, Breeders' Cup has finalized arrangements to take commingled wagers this year from Ireland, France, and South Africa, according to Ken Kirchner, Breeders' Cup's vice president of product development.