Emirates Airline Becomes Title Sponsor of $3 Million Breeders’ Cup Turf

Posted on Monday, June 9th, 2008

The Breeders’ Cup and Emirates Airline today announced a renewal of their sponsorship agreement through which Emirates, the world’s fastest-growing intercontinental airline based in Dubai (United Arab Emirates), will become title sponsor of the $3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf at the 2008 Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

The 25th Breeders’ Cup World Championships, thoroughbred racing’s most prestigious event, consisting of 14 horse races and $25.5 million in purses, will be held on Friday, October 24, and Saturday, October 25, at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.

As a part of the new agreement, Emirates will also continue as title sponsor of the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf. Emirates also retains its position as the official commercial airline of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships and an official Breeders’ Cup marketing partner, which includes a full package of media and on-site branding for the Championships and the Breeders’ Cup Challenge qualifying series races at Saratoga Race Track in upstate New York, Del Mar near San Diego, and Woodbine Race Course in Toronto.

Emirates has been a Breeders’ Cup sponsor since 2005.

The Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Turf, to be run at 1 1/2 miles for three-year-olds and up on Saturday, has established a reputation as one of the world’s premier international races in a year-ending championship forum.

Since 1984, the Breeders’ Cup Turf has featured star-studded fields that have included the winners of the Prix l’Arc de Triomphe, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the English and Irish Derbies.

The Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, to be run on Friday, is conducted at 1 1/4 miles on the turf for fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up. Over the years, it has produced great champions, including the outstanding English filly Ouija Board, winner of the event in 2004 and again in 2006.

In 2003, the last time the Breeders’ Cup was held at Santa Anita, the Breeders’ Cup Turf produced the first-ever dead heat in Breeders’ Cup history as Ireland’s High Chaparral and the American Johar hit the wire together.

The Breeders’ Cup Turf has been won by horses representing England, Ireland, France, Germany, Canada and the United States. Twelve winners of the Breeders’ Cup Turf were later named North American champions.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group said, “Emirates is pleased to announce today our continued commitment to the sport of horse racing in America and around the world. The Breeders’ Cup Turf is one of the world’s most prestigious races and we are very excited to be associated with this race.”

“North America is a very important market to Emirates, we are already operating non-stop flights to Dubai from New York, Houston and Toronto and we will soon be expanding our network to the West Coast with the start of services to Los Angeles and San Francisco. Our flights to Los Angeles begin on September 1st and will offer racing fans from the Middle East and Asia an easy route to Santa Anita Park to be part of the Breeders’ Cup experience,” added Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum.

“Emirates has been an outstanding partner of the Breeders’ Cup and a global leader in the sports sponsorship community,” said Breeders’ Cup CEO, Greg Avioli. “We appreciate what Emirates has done for Thoroughbred racing and for helping the Breeders’ Cup grow here and abroad.”

The Breeders’ Cup renewal is the latest in Emirates’ continued sponsorship support of Thoroughbred events around the world. In addition to its Breeders’ Cup commitment, Emirates is also a year-round sponsor of the New York Racing Association at Belmont Park and Saratoga racetracks and beginning this year, at Woodbine Race Course in Toronto. Both sponsorships support Emirates Airline’s direct flights from Dubai to New York and Toronto.

Emirates also sponsors the $6 million Dubai World Cup (the world’s richest horserace), Australia’s Emirates Melbourne Cup, and the Australian Jockey Club’s Australian Oaks.

Edited from www.breederscup.com.

"Emirates Airline Becomes Title Sponsor of $3 Million Breeders’ Cup Turf" was posted on Monday, June 9th, 2008 at 10:38 pm and is filed under Breeders' Cup, Horse Racing Industry, Santa Anita Track, Stakes Races, USA Horse Racing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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