Horse Racing
EMIRATES AIRLINE BECOMES NTRA, BREEDERS’ CUP SPONSOR
By Carla Sullivan/Marlayna Marks
Apr 13, 2005, 11:54

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WITH TITLE SPONSORSHIP OF BREEDERS’ CUP
DISTAFF AND FILLY & MARE TURF RACES
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The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Breeders’ Cup Limited and Emirates Airline today announced a multi-year sponsorship agreement through which Emirates, the world’s fastest-growing intercontinental airline based in Dubai (United Arab Emirates), will become title sponsor the $2 million Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Distaff and the $1 million Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf races at the Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships.

Under the agreement, Emirates, will not only title these two championship races, but will also title the Emirates Airline Distaff and Emirates Airline Filly & Mare Turf Divisions leading up to the eight-race, $14 million Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships. This year’s Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships will be held on Saturday, October 29 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., and will be televised live in the U.S. on NBC and throughout the world on various international networks.

Emirates’ sponsorship marks the first time in NTRA history that a Breeders’ Cup sponsor will title two Breeders’ Cup races and divisions.

The Breeders’ Cup participation is the latest in Emirates’ continued sponsorship support of major sporting events throughout the world. Emirates’ sponsorships include the largest sponsorship agreement in the history of English football with Premiership club Arsenal, which includes naming rights for Arsenal’s new 67,000 seat stadium, the Emirates Stadium.

Other sponsorships include the $6 million Dubai World Cup (the world’s richest horserace), Australia’s Emirates Melbourne Cup, the Australian Jockey Club’s Australian Oaks Race, the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, the Asian Football Federation, Emirates’ Team New Zealand in the America’s Cup yacht race, the Emirates Rugby Sevens in Dubai, London, South Africa and France, and the Dubai Cricket Council, among others. Emirates is also the official carrier for golf’s Dubai Desert Classic, the BMW International Open in Munich, the BMW Asian Open in Shanghai, the Holden New Zealand Open and the Dubai Tennis Open, in addition to sponsoring all international cricket umpires through the International Cricket Council and all referees in the English Premiership.

“We are delighted with the unprecedented commitment by Emirates for both the Distaff and the Filly and Mare Turf,” said D.G. Van Clief, Jr., president of Breeders’ Cup Ltd., and NTRA Commissioner. “The Emirates sponsorship expands our international affiliation with the corporate world. As a global leader in Thoroughbred racing and sports sponsorship, we are confident that Emirates Airline will provide an expanded platform for building worldwide interest in the Breeders’ Cup.”

Ghaith Al Ghaith, Emirates’ Executive Vice-President Commercial Operations Worldwide, said of the arrangement with NTRA, “For Emirates, sponsorship is an important means of reaching out to our passengers worldwide, through sharing and supporting their interests. Emirates’ ground-breaking sponsorship of two Breeders’ Cup races and divisions is a perfect fit for our ongoing sponsorship portfolio of international horse racing. Adding the Breeders’ Cup to a list that includes the Dubai World Cup and the Emirates Melbourne Cup shows Emirates’ commitment to supporting the very best horse racing around the world.
He added, “The Emirates’ daily non-stop route between New York’s JFK airport and Dubai that we launched almost a year ago has greatly reduced the journey time and increased comfort for travelers between the US and the Gulf. It also has provided them with excellent connections in Dubai for other destinations in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Asia-Pacific. This partnership with the National Thoroughbred Racing Association is further evidence of Emirates’ commitment to expansion and success in the American market.”

Throughout the summer and fall, Emirates Airline will receive signage and hospitality at major races around the country that are part of the Emirates Distaff and Filly & Mare Turf divisions on the road to the World Thoroughbred Championships.

Over the years, the $2 million Distaff, a race for fillies and mares age three-and-up run at 1 1/8-miles on dirt, has been won by some of the greatest female horses in the history of the sport, including Horses of the Year Lady Secret in 1986 and Azeri in 2002, and the undefeated Personal Ensign in 1988.

The Filly & Mare Turf, an event for fillies and mares age three-and-up run at 1 ¼-miles on grass, which was first run in 1999, was captured last year by the 2004 European Horse of the Year, Ouija Board (GB).

Other name-in-title Breeders’ Cup race sponsors are Dodge for the $4 million Breeders’ Cup Classic – Powered by Dodge and Classic Division – Powered by Dodge; John Deere for the $2 million John Deere Breeders’ Cup Turf and John Deere Turf Division; NetJets for the $1.5 million NetJets Breeders’ Cup Mile and the NetJets Mile Division; Bessemer Trust for the $1.5 million Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and Bessemer Trust Juvenile Division; and TVG for the $1 million TVG Breeders’ Cup Sprint and the TVG Sprint Division. Other NTRA/Breeders’ Cup sponsors include Guinness, Fed Ex, Alberto-Culver, Lexmark, Cendant, Grey Goose and Citgo.

Emirates is the world’s fastest-growing intercontinental airline. Based in Dubai, Emirates Airline has received more than 250 international awards in recognition of its efforts to provide unsurpassed levels of customer service since its launch in 1985. Emirates operates services to 78 cities in 55 countries in Europe, North America, the Middle East, Africa, Indian subcontinent and Asia-Pacific including a direct service from New York’s JFK to Dubai that was launched in June 2004. Since January 2004 the airline has launched services to nine new destinations, including the Seychelles in January 2005. Later this year it will start services to Seoul, Geneva and Hamburg, and to Beijing in February 2006. Visit Emirates online at: www.emirates.com

The NTRA is a broad-based coalition of horseracing interests, including the American Quarter Horse Association, charged with increasing popularity of horseracing and improving economic conditions for industry participants. The NTRA and Breeders' Cup Limited also administer the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, Thoroughbred racing's year-end Championships consisting of eight races and $14 million in purses and awards, and the Breeders' Cup Stakes Program. The NTRA has offices in Lexington, Ky., and New York City. NTRA press releases appear on the NTRA Web site, ntra.com.





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