WOODBINE TO HOST POOLS ON U.S. STEEPLECHASE CHAMPIONSHIPS (FAR HILLS)
FAIR HILL, MD., 10-08-09---Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG) has entered into an agreement with the National Steeplechase Association (NSA) to host the pari-mutuel pools on the six hurdle races from the Far Hills Race Meeting that will comprise the inaugural U.S. Steeplechase Championships on October 17. The six events being conducted in Far Hills, New Jersey, will be combined with five races from the International Gold Cup in The Plains, Virginia, to form the first- ever Championship Day and will be featured on a live five-hour broadcast by NBC Universal Sports and on
www.universalsports.com.
Races on the Far Hills card will be broadcast internationally in the United Kingdom and Ireland on the dedicated horseracing channel “At The Races”. Simulcast coverage will also extend the European audience with Satellite Information Services distribution into off-track betting outlets in Germany, as well as the UK and Ireland.
America’s top jumpers will compete in an all-stakes, six-race card for $550,000 in prize money. Highlight of the U.S. Steeplechase Championships will be the Grade I American Grand National, the nation’s premier race, for a $250,000 purse over 14 fences. Far Hills Racecourse, which hosts the USA’s most prestigious steeplechase races and annually draws over 50,000 spectators, is the perfect autumn setting for Championship Day. The race program will attract the very best jumping horses in training and includes prospective champions in several National Steeplechase Association divisions, from Three-Year-Olds to Novices to Open horses.
“We are thrilled to partner with the Woodbine Entertainment Group, one of the premier racing organizations in the world,” said Lou Raffetto, NSA chief executive officer. “We are excited to have the opportunity to not only showcase steeplechase racing on national television, but also to offer wagering at many locations around the globe where steeplechasing is extremely popular.”
The following is the schedule for U.S. Championship Day (all times EDT):
12:50 pm Peapack (Filly & Mare Hurdle Stakes) 2m1f (turf) $ 50,000
1:30 pm Harry E. Harris (Maiden Hurdle Stakes) 2m1f (turf) $ 50,000
2:15 pm Appleton (Restricted Hurdle Stakes) 2m1f (turf) $ 50,000
3:00 pm Foxbrook (Novice Hurdle Stakes) 2m4f (turf) $100,000
3:55 pm Grand National (Gr. I Hurdle Stakes) 2m5f (turf) $250,000
4:40 pm Gladstone (Three-Year-Old Hurdle Stakes) 2m1f (turf) $ 50,000