LEXINGTON, Ky. (Wednesday, January 14, 2015) – Saturday night’s Eclipse Awards ceremony, produced by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), is made possible thanks to the support of 11 sponsors and partners. In addition to its three returning presenting sponsors, The 44th Annual Eclipse Awards Presented by Daily Racing Form, Breeders’ Cup and The Stronach Group is also supported by official partners Keeneland, Racetrack Television Network (RTN) and Tito’s Handmade Vodka, as well as FLAIR Equine Nasal Strips, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association (FTBOA), HRTV, The Network for Horse Sports and Kendall-Jackson.
The Eclipse Awards will be held for the third consecutive year at Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino in Hallandale Beach, Fla.
“We are deeply appreciative for the support of so many organizations,” said Alex Waldrop, President and CEO of the NTRA. “In particular, we thank the Keeneland Association for its gracious support of the Eclipse Awards Afterparty.”
The official Eclipse Awards Afterparty, Presented by Keeneland with support from Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Kendall-Jackson, will take place immediately following Saturday night’s ceremony at the newly opened Frankey’s Sports Bar in The Village at Gulfstream Park.
This year, for the first time, the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association is sponsoring the Eclipse Awards Two-Year-Old Male and Two-Year-Old Filly Divisions.
“We thank the FTBOA and the Florida Department of Agriculture for seeking innovative ways to support the Eclipse Awards,” said Keith Chamblin, Senior Vice President of the NTRA and Senior Executive Producer of the Eclipse Awards. “We welcome the opportunity to utilize the Eclipse Awards as a platform to convey to the world that there is no better place to raise a two-year-old than Florida.”
HRTV is the Official Broadcast Partner of the Eclipse Awards and will provide live coverage of the event Saturday starting at 8 p.m. EST (5 p.m. PST), followed by a live half-hour recap show.
The live telecast will also be available on the DISH Network courtesy of RTN. Live streaming coverage of the ceremony will be available via DRF.com and HRTV.com.
The lineup of partners complements the three previously announced presenting sponsors, all of which are on board for a third consecutive year: Daily Racing Form, Breeders’ Cup and The Stronach Group.
Less than 20 tickets to the Eclipse Awards remain and are available for $400 each. The ticket is good for admission to parties on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. Order forms for tickets are available at ntra.com. For additional information on tickets or accommodations, please contact Michele Ravencraft of the NTRA at mravencraft@ntra.com.
Presenting Sponsors
Daily Racing Form, “America’s Turf Authority since 1894” for Thoroughbred racing horseplayers and professionals throughout North America, is the Thoroughbred industry’s dominant multi-channel media company. Launched in 1894, Daily Racing Form is the only daily newspaper in the U.S. dedicated solely to the coverage of a single sport, publishing up to 2,000 unique pages of statistical and editorial copy every day, in as many as 20 daily editions, 364 days a year. Its companion website, www.DRF.com, is the most heavily-trafficked horseracing destination, providing players with the most extensive news coverage in racing, interactive past performances, exclusive handicapping tools, and access to DRF Bets™, America’s fastest growing online and mobile wagering platform.
The Breeders’ Cup administers the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred racing’s year-end Championships. The Breeders’ Cup also administers the Breeders’ Cup Challenge qualifying series, which provides automatic starting positions into the Championships races. The 2015 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, consisting of 13 grade I races and purses totaling $26 million, will be held October 30-31 at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., and will be televised live by the NBC Sports Group.
The Stronach Group is North America’s leading Thoroughbred racetrack owner/operator. The Stronach Group racetracks include Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino, Golden Gate Fields, Portland Meadows, Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, home of the world-famous Preakness. The company owns and operates the Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida, and is one of North America’s top race horse breeders through its award-winning Adena Springs operation. The Stronach Group is one of the world’s largest suppliers of pari-mutuel wagering systems, technologies and services. Its companies include AmTote, a global leader in wagering technology; XpressBet, an internet and telephone account wagering service; and Monarch Content Management, which acts as a simulcast purchase and sales agent of horseracing content for numerous North American racetracks and wagering outlets. The Stronach Group is also a major producer of televised horseracing programming through its HRTV cable and satellite network.
Official Partners
Keeneland is a rare combination of high-stakes commerce, genteel sporting tradition and remarkable innovations. As the world’s largest Thoroughbred auction company, Keeneland’s horse sales topped $500 million in 2013. The racing program offers some of the richest purses – and therefore the most competitive racing – of any track on the continent. Twelve of this year’s Eclipse Award finalists have Keeneland connections, including Horse of the Year candidate Wise Dan, a Grade I winner at the Lexington, Ky., racetrack.
The Racetrack Television Network (“RTN”) is an 80-channel subscription package that caters to horsemen, bettors and racing fans worldwide by delivering every simulcast from North American and select international tracks to televisions, computers, and mobile devices (including iPhones, iPads, Android phones and Android tablets). The television package is available via satellite provider DISH Network, while the online and mobile packages are available directly from RTN at www.rtn.tv. RTN offers the largest simulcast menu in the pari-mutuel industry-either commercially or residentially.
Tito’s Handmade Vodka is and always has been 100% American-made and produced in Austin, Texas. It was the state’s first and oldest legal distillery, and is one of the fastest-growing micro distilleries in the country. Tito’s Handmade Vodka continues to be a privately owned liquor brand developed by Tito Beveridge and can be found in all 50 states and in some Canadian provinces. The slow, six-times distilled vodka is called one of the smoothest vodkas on the market by the country’s top bartenders, and was awarded a score of 95 by Wine Enthusiast.
More Official Partners
FLAIR Equine Nasal Strips provide drug-free support and protection to the respiratory system of the hard-working equine athlete. FLAIR Strips are proven to: reduce airway resistance, reduce lung stress and bleeding, reduce fatigue, and shorten post-exercise recovery time.
The mission of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is to safeguard the public and support Florida’s agricultural economy by: ensuring the safety and wholesomeness of food and other consumer products through inspection and testing programs; protecting consumers from unfair and deceptive business practices and providing consumer information; assisting Florida’s farmers and agricultural industries with the production and promotion of agricultural products; and conserving and protecting the state’s agricultural and natural resources by reducing wildfires, promoting environmentally safe agricultural practices, and managing public lands.
The Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association (FTBOA) is a not-for-profit association which represents more than 1,300 Thoroughbred breeders and owners who breed, raise, train and race horses born in the state of Florida.
HRTV, The Network for Horse Sports, is a television-based multimedia network dedicated to equine sports. HRTV’s programming features horseracing from top U.S. and international racetracks, as well as a wide range of world-class English and Western horse competitions, news, original programming and award-winning documentaries covering the world of horse sports. The live stream of HRTV is available on a subscription basis to high-speed Internet users worldwide at www.hrtv.com. In the U.S., the HRTV television network is available via telco, cable and satellite in over 19 million homes.
Kendall-Jackson Winery was founded in 1982 and is committed to making wines from only the best quality grapes. Today, the winery is committed to producing the highest quality wines. Through responsible land management, sustainable practices and artisan winemaking techniques, Kendall-Jackson is committed to quality in all things.
About The Eclipse Awards
The Eclipse Awards are named after the great 18th-century racehorse and foundation sire Eclipse, who began racing at age five and was undefeated in 18 starts, including eight walkovers. Eclipse sired the winners of 344 races, including three Epsom Derbies. The Eclipse Awards are bestowed upon horses and individuals whose outstanding achievements in North America have earned them the title of Champion in their respective categories. Those awards are voted by NTRA, Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB). Eclipse Awards also are given to recognize members of the media for outstanding coverage of Thoroughbred racing. An Eclipse Award is also presented to the Handicapper of the Year.
Eclipse Awards voting is conducted by the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB), the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) and Daily Racing Form. The Eclipse Awards ceremony is produced by the NTRA.
About the NTRA
The NTRA is a broad-based coalition of more than 100 horse racing interests and thousands of individual stakeholders consisting of horseplayers, racetrack operators, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity, welfare and integrity of Thoroughbred racing through consensus-based leadership, legislative advocacy, safety and integrity initiatives, fan engagement and corporate partner development. The NTRA owns and manages the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance, NTRA.com, the Eclipse Awards, the National Handicapping Championship, NTRA Advantage, a corporate partner sales and sponsorship program, and HORSE PAC, a federal political action committee. The NTRA has offices in Lexington, Ky., and New York City. NTRA press releases appear on NTRA.com, Twitter (@ntra) and Facebook (facebook.com/1NTRA).