LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) and the National Horseman’s Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) announced today that TVG will be the official television partner of the 2010 Claiming Crown to be held at Canterbury Park on July 24, 2010.
TVG will provide exclusive live coverage of the 2010 Claiming Crown for the 12th annual renewal of the $500,000 event. TVG hosts will be on site at Canterbury Park, anchoring day-long coverage of Claiming Crown races and festivities. In addition, TVG will offer promotional spots and other pre-event coverage of the Claiming Crown during the week leading up to the event.
“We are honored and excited to have TVG return in 2010 as the official television partner of the Claiming Crown,” said TOBA President Dan Metzger. “TVG offers a significant amount of exposure to the event as well as a first-class production. They have been terrific partners in assisting us with the development and growth of the Claiming Crown.”
“Our 30,000 members across North America are big fans of Claiming Crown and we couldn’t be happier having TVG’s wonderful support,” said National HBPA President and Chairman Joe Santanna. “Most new owners in racing started out as fans and claimed their way into the sport like me. With TVG’s help, we’ll raise the awareness among those fans that you don’t have to be a billionaire to take the next step in owning a race horse. Remember Furthest Land went from Claiming Crown to Breeders’ Cup winner!”
“TVG is proud to be a partnering once again with the NHBPA and TOBA to present coverage of the Claiming Crown,” said Betfair TVG’s VP of Business Development, Matthew Cullen. “Through this partnership with the horsemen, TVG strives to support the lifeblood of our sport, the owners. By providing broad distribution and in-depth coverage of the Claiming Crown, TVG hopes to expose the game to many new fans.”
Claiming Crown features six races, with purses ranging from $50,000 to $150,000 and is open to horses that have started at least once since January 1, 2009 for claiming prices ranging from $7,500 to $35,000. The day’s featured event is the Jewel, a mile and one-eighth event on the main track with a purse of $150,000. Also on the program are two mile-and-one-sixteenth races on the turf, three six-furlong dashes on the dirt and a mile and one-sixteenth main track contest. For more information please visit www.claimingcrown.com.
TVG, the official TV and Interactive Wagering partner of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) and a subsidiary of Betfair Group Ltd, the premier e-gaming betting community, is among the most widely distributed horseracing networks in the world. TVG is the largest advance deposit wagering company in the US, accepting over $500 million in wagers in 2008. The company has demonstrated its commitment to the racing industry, its owners, tracks and fans through the sponsorship of several preeminent races including the TVG Breeders Cup Mile, TVG/Betfair Hollywood Gold Cup and Claiming Crown. TVG viewers in certain areas can wager interactively on races via telephone, the Internet, TVG Mobile or Interactive Television by establishing a wagering account online at www.tvg.com or by telephone at 1-888-PLAY-TVG.
TOBA, based in Lexington, Ky., was formed in 1961 and is a national trade organization of leading Thoroughbred horse breeders and owners. TOBA’s mission is to “improve the economics, integrity and pleasure of the sport on behalf of Thoroughbred owners and breeders.” Projects managed by TOBA include the American Graded Stakes Committee, The Racing Game, Sales Integrity Program and Claiming Crown. Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) is the charitable arm of TOBA. TOBA is the owner of The Blood-Horse Inc., and is represented on the Board of Directors of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association as a founding member.
Created in 1940 with a motto of “Horsemen Helping Horsemen”, the National HBPA is the largest horsemen’s representative association with over 30,000 affiliated horsemen across North America. The National HBPA is dedicated to protecting the rights and providing assistance and benevolence programs to racehorse owners & trainers and their families and employees. The National HBPA serves as the voice for countless horsemen and horsewomen on various racing industry boards and committees including the NTRA Board of Directors.
