Breeders' Cup staging Classic promotion

The Breeders’ Cup plans to award $250,000 to participants in a promotion geared to the Breeders’ Cup Classic that will allow racing fans to “virtually” own horses in the Classic division, the organization announced Wednesday.

Under the promotion, fans will be required to visit one of the six racetracks that will each host one of the six Win and You’re In races that guarantee a berth in the Classic to the winner of the race. The fans will each receive a promotional code at the track that will need to be verified at the Breeders’ Cup website, and after verification, the fan will become a virtual owner of the horse who won the qualifying race at that track. If the horse the fan is assigned wins the Classic, the fan will share a portion of the $250,000 prize with the other “virtual owners,” Breeders’ Cup said.

"The promotion is designed to incentivize fans to follow their horse from the local Challenge race right through the Breeders’ Cup Classic," said Jim Gluckson, a spokesman for Breeders’ Cup, in a statement. "This is part of an overall plan this year to enhance the Challenge series for our partner tracks with this promotion and the televised racing series; and for the horsemen who win Challenge races, by waiving entry fees and providing travel allowances to the Championships."

The six Win and You’re In races are the Hollywood Gold Cup this Saturday at Hollywood Park; the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on July 31; the Whitney Handicap at Saratoga Racecourse on Aug. 6; the Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Aug. 28; the Jockey Club Gold Cup on Oct. 1 at Belmont Park; and the Goodwood Stakes on Oct. 1 at Santa Anita Park. All of the races are scheduled to be televised live.

The promotion is part of a campaign that Breeders’ Cup said it is launching to promote the $5 million Classic, the richest race of its two-day year-end event. As part of the campaign, the Breeders’ Cup launched a new website, breederscup.com/classic, that will include information and articles about the race.

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