Daily Racing Form to promote British Champions Day to US audience

US racing publication Daily Racing Form (DRF) has announced that full-card past performances of the 18 October QIPCO British Champions Day from Ascot Racecourse will appear nationally in all of that day’s print editions of DRF, as part of a special agreement with Great British Racing International (GBRI). Wagering on QIPCO Champions Day will be available in North America at a wide assortment of Account Deposit Wagering providers as well as select brick-and-mortar wagering outlets.

QIPCO Champions Day, the climax of the QIPCO British Champions Series, is Britain’s richest race day with a record £3.75m (approximately US$6 million) in purses offered over five races across the BCS Sprint, Mile, Middle Distance, Long Distance and Fillies & Mares categories. The day is expected to send several runners on to the 2014 Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park.

In addition to past performances of QIPCO Champions Day in all print editions, DRF will also offer free online past performances for Champions Day at DRF.com starting on 17 October, plus on-site coverage from Ascot Racecourse during Champions Day week. A special QIPCO Champions Day web page will be featured on DRF.com, offering video analysis of select races, links to online past performances and a compilation of DRF-produced editorial coverage of the event.

“QIPCO British Champions Day has quickly established itself as a major international event and features the top race in the world on ratings – The QIPCO Champion Stakes,” said Rod Street, CEO of the British Champions Series. “We are delighted to work with DRF to bring our day to an important international audience and hope U.S. race fans enjoy and wager on the top quality action.”

QIPCO British Champions Day will be broadcast in the U.S. by GBI Racing, which is the sole rights holder for the distribution of British and Irish racing to international retail betting outlets and online operators.

“GBI Racing is delighted to be working with Daily Racing Form on the promotion of QIPCO British Champions Day to the North American audience,” said Ian Houghton, GBI Racing Territory Manager for North America. “DRF will provide U.S. customers with all the relevant wagering information in print and online, such as detailed racecards, past performances and editorial content, and its coverage will perfectly complement GBI Racing’s live broadcast. Besides the usual Advance Deposit Wagering (ADW) websites, GBI Racing will also be putting the signal into betting shops and off-track betting (OTB) outlets on the day, which will broaden the wagering opportunities. The chance to wager on Britain’s richest raceday is a real boon for racing fans around the world, and GBI Racing’s coverage of this end-of-season showpiece will ensure a wide global audience for this important day.”

Mark Simon, Editorial Director of DRF, added: “We are extremely pleased to bring North American racing fans comprehensive coverage of, and wagering information for, one of the most prestigious and important international racing events anywhere in the world. Our coverage will undoubtedly also give our fans an added level of insight as they look forward to the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita, where Champions Day runners will likely have a major impact on several races.”