 July 4th - American Flag Giveaway and Instant Win:
American Flags will be given out to the first 2,000 patrons at track entrances. Also use your Player Rewards Card while placing your bet and you have a chance to win cash prizes.
Saturday July 11th and Saturday July 25th:
 Win cash prizes from 12noon to 6pm through instant wins. Must use your Player Rewards Card while wagering. Please stop by the Player Rewards Club for more information.
 Saturday, July 18th: Last Breakfast at the Park- Delaware Park Festival Weekend of Racing.
Featuring nearly $2 million in Stakes Purses and two days of quality racing!
Post Time 1:15pm. First 5,000 fans receive an entrance gift. Beginning at 11:00am.
View all the Racing Action from the Grandstands or on the area's largest video walls. Begin the day with Breakfast at the Park (starting at 9:00am in the New Castle Room followed by a Handicapping Seminar. Only $7.95 per person - Comps or Cash accepted. (Special gift and live racing program included). Meet some of your favorite Handicappers and get an edge on the day's races. Watch the morning workouts while you enjoy an all-you-care-to-eat breakfast buffet. Reservations are not necessary. Parking and Admission are free.
Sunday, July 19th: Delaware Park Festival Weekend of Racing. Featuring the Grade II $1 million Delaware Handicap. First 5,000 fans will receive a hat giveaway beginning at 11:00am. Post Time 1:15pm. View all the Racing Action from the Grandstands or on the area's largest video walls.
DELAWARE HANDICAP SELECTED AS A BREEDERS’ CUP CHALLENGE RACE AND A LADIES’ CLASSIC QUALIFIER AS PART OF 2009 EXPANDED SCHEDULE
Series To Include 62 Races In Seven Countries
NEW YORK, N.Y. (June 22, 2009)-- The Breeders' Cup Challenge, a series of automatic qualifying races for the $25.5 million 2009 Breeders' Cup World Championships, will increase expansion this year with a record 62 races taking place in seven countries at the world’s greatest racing venues, it was announced today. The Delaware Handicap at Delaware Park on July 19, will serve as a Ladies’ Classic qualifier during the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Challenge Season. Click here for complete 2009 schedule: http://www.breederscup.com/schedule.aspx?tab=1
The expanded Challenge series, with its “Win and You’re In” provision, will include 12 overseas races from premier racetracks in England, Ireland, France, Australia and Hong Kong. The 2009 Breeders' Cup Challenge races will begin in the U.S. on July 4 with qualifying events from Monmouth Park: the United Nations (gr. I) on turf, and the Salvator Mile (gr. III).
This year’s Breeders' Cup World Championships will be held November 6-7, at the Oak Tree Racing Association meet at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., and will be televised live on ABC and ESPN.
The Breeders’ Cup Challenge series will again include domestic racetracks Belmont Park in New York, Del Mar near San Diego, Calder Race Course in Miami, Arlington Park in Chicago, Emerald Downs in Seattle, Delaware Park, Monmouth Park and Philadelphia Park in the Middle Atlantic; Turfway Park and Keeneland in Kentucky; Santa Anita Park and Woodbine in Toronto.
The 2009 Challenge races will be televised on ESPN, TVG and HRTV, TSN in Canada and in more than 120 countries.
“It is an honor for the Delaware Handicap to be selected as a Breeders’ Cup Challenge race and qualifier for the Ladies’ Classic for the second straight year,” said Bill Fasy, Chief Operating Officer of Delaware Park. “The Delaware Handicap has a long and prestigious tradition and we are proud to have our signature race of the season as part of such an exciting series.”
Other important features for the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Challenge include:
· 25 races will be enhanced by funds through the Breeders’ Cup Stakes program
· The series will feature 32 group or grade I races, including 10 group 1 races overseas.
“In our continuing efforts to maximize the global popularity and competition of the World Championships, we have expanded this year’s Breeders’ Cup Challenge series to more racing venues for our horsemen and fans,” said Breeders’ Cup President and CEO Greg Avioli. “The Breeders’ Cup Challenge creates increased international awareness on a weekly basis from July through October for the world’s great horse races and for the outstanding horses that will be competing in the Championships.”
In the U.S., three races will be automatic qualifiers for starting positions in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic beginning Labor Day weekend in the U.S. with the Washington Park Handicap at Arlington Park (Sept. 5) the Pacific Classic Stakes at Del Mar (Sept. 6), followed by the Goodwood Stakes at Santa Anita Park (Oct. 10). The Breeders’ Cup Classic field is limited to 14 starters.
The international Breeders’ Cup Challenge began in April with the Champions Mile (G1) in Hong Kong, won by Sight Winner, who earned a starting berth into the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile. The first European challenge race of 2009 will be the Audi Pretty Polly Stakes (G1) at The Curragh in Ireland on June 27 for an automatic berth in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf. Among the other new international Challenge races this year are the Tattersalls Million Irish Champion Stakes (G1) at Leopardstown (Sept. 9) and the Emirates Airline Champion Stakes (G1) from Newmarket on Oct. 17, both for starting positions in the $3 million Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Turf; the Moyglare Stud (G1) at The Curragh for a starting position in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf; the Diamond Stakes (G3) at Dundalk for a starting position in the $500,000 Breeders’ Cup Marathon and three automatic qualifiers for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint:, the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville (G1) on Aug. 9, the Cleanevent Manikato Stakes (G1) at Moonee Valley in Australia on Sept. 25 and the Qatar Prix de L’Abbaye at Longchamp (G1) on Oct. 4.
The Breeders’ Cup Challenge, which began in 2007 with 25 races at six U.S. racetracks and Sha Tin in Hong Kong, was increased to 57 races at 12 tracks last year. The 2008 series for the first time included races in Canada from Woodbine and in Great Britain at Ascot Racecourse. This year, the Breeders’ Cup Challenge will be brought to seven additional premier international tracks: Longchamp and Deauville in France, The Curragh, Leopardstown and Dundalk in Ireland, Newmarket in England and Moonee Valley in Australia.
In 2008, 34 of the 57 Challenge race winners completed in the Breeders’ Cup. Five of them won races at the Championships, led by Raven’s Pass. The other winners were Zenyatta, who won the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic on Championship Friday; Forever Together, Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf; Stardom Bound, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and Maram, Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.
The first European Breeders’ Cup Challenge races debuted at Ascot last year. The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes presented by Sony (G1) a qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the Meon Valley Stud Fillies’ Mile (G1) for an automatic spot in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and the Juddmonte Royal Lodge (G2) for a position in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf are all back in this year’s series, and will be run on Sept. 26.
About Breeders’ Cup The Breeders’ Cup administers the Breeders’ Cup World Championships; Thoroughbred racing’s year-end Championships consisting of 14 races and $25.5 million in purses, which makes it the richest event in sports. At last year’s Breeders’ Cup, more than $100 million in winning wagers were returned to fans at betting locations around the globe. The Breeders’ Cup also administers the Breeders’ Cup Challenge qualifying series, and the Breeders’ Cup Stakes Program. Breeders’ Cup has offices in Lexington, Ky., and in New York City. Breeders’ Cup press releases appear on the Breeders’ Cup Web site, www.breederscup.com. You may follow the Breeders’ Cup on Twitter at http://twitter.com/BreedersCup.
NTRA Release--Delaware Park Receives Accreditation Following Review by NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance Inspection Team
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced that Delaware Park in Stanton, Del., has been fully accredited by the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance following a complete review of all racing operations at the facility. Delaware Park is the fourth racing facility to be so designated by the Alliance. Churchill Downs and Keeneland were accredited in April; Belmont Park received accreditation in May; and Pimlico Race Course was granted provisional accreditation in May.
The accreditation of Delaware Park was the culmination of a lengthy certification process that began with the track’s completion of a 48-page written application and continued as Delaware Park hosted several meetings with Alliance officials. The on-site review included inspections of all facets of the racing facility, and interviews with track executives, racetrack personnel, jockeys, owners, trainers, stewards and regulators. It was led by Jennifer Durenberger, DVM, racing official Richard Lewis; and Mike Ziegler, Executive Director of the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance.
A special ceremony to recognize Delaware Park’s accreditation will take place today at 10:00 a.m. at Delaware Park. Attendees will include Delaware Governor Jack Markell and the Honorable Tommy G. Thompson, former four-term Governor of Wisconsin and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, who serves as independent counsel of the Alliance.
“I am happy to report that Delaware Park, one of the nation’s most picturesque racetracks and home to the $1 million Delaware Handicap this summer, has been accredited by the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance,” said Alex Waldrop, President and CEO of the NTRA. “Delaware Park is to be commended for its commitment to the human and equine athletes who compete there.”
“We reviewed Delaware Park in late April during its current meeting,” said Ziegler. “The inspection went extremely well, with the announcement of accreditation slightly delayed pending the creation of formal, written policies which are now completed.”
“We are delighted that the NTRA has recognized the commitment that Delaware Park has made to the safety and integrity of thoroughbred racing,” said William Fasy, Chief Operating Officer of Delaware Park. “In cooperation with the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission, our horsemen and our jockeys, we have been on the forefront of industry efforts to get steroids out of racing and to make racing safer for all involved. Just as important, we also have implemented a racehorse retirement program, endorsed by our horsemen, that provides a way for former racehorses to move into second careers. All of these efforts allow us to present racing that is as safe, fair and humane as possible.”
The Alliance, formed last October with the goal of establishing national uniform standards in the areas of safety and integrity, includes 55 racetracks in North America and every major national horsemen’s organization. Alliance certification standards cover five broad areas: injury reporting and prevention; creating a safer racing environment; aftercare and transition of retired racehorses; uniform medication, testing and penalties; and safety research. Within those five categories, specific standards focus on areas including:
- Systematic reporting of equine injuries
- Aftercare of racehorses
- Pre- and post-race veterinary examinations
- Post-mortem examinations
- Health and safety of jockeys
- Riding crops and their use
- Horse shoes and hoof care
- Safety research
- Safety equipment for jockeys and horse handlers
- Exogenous Anabolic Steroids
- Alkalinizing agents (TCO2)
- On-track emergency medical care for humans and equines
- Out-of-competition testing
- Freezing and retrospective testing of post race samples
- Continuing education
- Security assessment and training
The accreditation program initially will focus on human and equine safety, but will be expanded to cover additional areas, including wagering security.
Arlington Park, Calder Race Course, Emerald Downs and Monmouth Park are among the next racetracks that will undergo Alliance review.
The NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance is a standing organization whose purpose is to establish standards and practices to promote safety and integrity in horseracing and to secure their implementation. Information on the Alliance, including the Alliance Code of Standards, can be found at www.NTRAalliance.com.
The Honorable Tommy G. Thompson, former four-term Governor of Wisconsin and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, serves as independent counsel of the Alliance and will provide public reports on Alliance progress in instituting safety and integrity standards.
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