Summer Bird out to stud. Churchill Downs to increase purses.
This November 5-6, we will be seeing a first for this year’s Breeders’ Cup. For the first time a Cup race will be run underneath the lights, at nighttime. Churchill Downs is sight for this year’s Cup races, and is well equipped to run horses at nighttime. There have been several races that have gone under low light conditions, but this is the first time it will be done after the sun has completely set.
This is an experiment to see if horse racing has what it takes to be a success in prime time. Because the Breeders’ Cup will be held at Churchill Downs again in 2011, if viewership is high, they may extend the coverage well into prime time. Churchill Downs consistently breaks records for the Breeders Cup, both in terms of attendance and revenue earned. This year’s race is the Ladies’ Classic, which will run at 7:30pm EST.
This year, the V Foundation will be receiving a portion of the proceeds from the Breeders’ Cup. This is the second year Foundation will be receiving money, having gotten $136k last year. When you purchase tickets online, you are asked to make a donation to the foundation. All the proceeds are donated to the foundation.
Summer Bird has begun his stately retirement a bit early. The winner of the 2009 Belmont Stakes, Traverse Stakes and Jockey Goal Cup suffered a fracture in his left foreleg when prepping for the Japan Dirt Cup. He will be studded at Ben P Walden Jr.’s Pauls Mill in Versailles, Kentucky. His stud fee has yet to be announced.
We reported earlier this week that this year’s Belmont had the worst ratings ever. Well, the opposite case is true for Churchill Downs. At the illustrious racetrack, they are upping the purses by 10% because of all the money they made at the Derby earlier this year. Derby betting was up 4.3% from last year. The purse upgrade will mean that the next 14 races will have a higher prize.
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