Breeders' Cup Future Bet Returns;
First Period July 25-27

Date Posted: 7/1/03 1:28:59 PM
Last Updated: 7/1/03 3:30:45 PM
Edited release from NTRA/Breeders' Cup

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association and Breeders' Cup Limited announced Tuesday that Breeders' Cup Future Bet wagering will be offered again this year on the eight Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships races, to be held Saturday, October 25, during the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. races, to be held Saturday, October 25, during the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.

Breeders' Cup Future Bet wagering will be conducted during three weekends in 2003, with four Breeders' Cup races open for betting each weekend. Under Breeders' Cup Future Bet rules, each race will offer pari-mutuel pools of 23 runners plus one field entry consisting of all horses not in the body of 23 for each respective pool. Two separate wagering periods will be offered for the Breeders' Cup Classic - Powered by Dodge, Breeders' Cup Distaff, Breeders' Cup Sprint and John Deere Breeders' Cup Turf, with one wagering period offering wagering on the Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf and NetJets Breeders' Cup Mile.

"We are pleased to again offer the Breeders' Cup Future Bet as an option for players seeking early value on potential Breeders' Cup entrants," said Ken Kirchner, Senior Vice President of Product Development for the NTRA.

All betting, available at outlets nationwide, will be win-only with a minimum wager amount of $2. Daily Racing Form will provide extensive support for the Breeders' Cup Future Bet, including full past performance lines in all editions for all days the Future Bet is offered. Los Alamitos will serve as the wagering hub.

The complete Breeders' Cup Future Bet schedule for 2003 is:

-- Friday, July 25 – Sunday, July 27: Breeders' Cup Classic - Powered by Dodge, Breeders' Cup Distaff, Breeders' Cup Sprint, John Deere Breeders' Cup Turf (Races 1-4)

-- Friday, August 29 – Monday, September 1: Breeders' Cup Classic - Powered by Dodge, Breeders' Cup Distaff, Breeders' Cup Sprint, John Deere Breeders' Cup Turf (Races 5-8)

-- Friday, September 19 – Sunday, September 21: Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, NetJets Breeders' Cup Mile (Races 9-12)

Pools for the first two betting periods will open beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET on the opening day of the period and close at 9:00 p.m. ET on the final day. During the last betting period (Sept. 19-21), wagering will open at 2:00 p.m. ET on the opening day and close at 9:00 p.m. ET on the final day.

In addition to running full past performances for Breeders' Cup Future Bet horses during open period dates, Daily Racing Form will offer comprehensive editorial coverage and also will develop a special Breeders' Cup Future Bet section on its website, www.drf.com, where the past performances will be available free to all paid online members. "It's good to again be working closely with America's preeminent turf authority in promoting the wager; the DRF's support last year was critical to the wager's success," said Kirchner.

In 2002 -- the first year of the wager -- patrons wagered a total of $530,541 on the Breeders' Cup Future Bet during four betting periods. Three races were offered during the first three betting periods last year. The Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies made up the final period.