24th January 2023 – The $3 million Pegasus World Cup presented by Baccarat (G1) on Saturday, 28th January will reach over 135 territories through broadcast distribution courtesy of HBA Media. Held in Miami, the first major flat event of 2023 has attracted legendary jockey Frankie Dettori, who will ride in the feature race for his final time as he starts his international ‘swansong’ ahead of retirement at the end of the year.
Dettori has held
the mantle of horseracing’s greatest star for three decades and will launch and
conclude his illustrious career in the States – starting this Saturday at the
Pegasus World Cup and ending at the Breeders’ Cup in November.
Since its
inception in 2017, the Pegasus World Cup has become the USA’s premier
entertainment and horseracing event. Outside of the ‘Frankie factor’, headline
music performances from OneRepublic and Kygo
have helped boost international interest. Three new broadcasters will showcase
the NBC produced world feed for the first time to ensure the Pegasus World Cup
can be watched by fans in every major continent.
Distributed by
HBA Media, the headlining agreements for the event are:
·OTT broadcaster Entain have signed a new deal to bring the Pegasus World Cup broadcast to fans across Australia.
·Industry heavyweight Viaplay will broadcast the event across eight territories in Scandinavia and Europe.
·Audiences across South America will be cheering on Brazilian contender ‘Ivar’ and can watch his efforts via ESPN across 50 territories.
· Virgin Media continue their commitment to international racing by bringing their event to their linear channels in Ireland for the first time.
· WeDoTV will show the event on their digital channel to audiences in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
· Sony Pictures Networks have extended their broadcast deal – targeting a 700 million audience across India and the wider subcontinent.
· Global Eagle will debut the race day to its cruise ship clients to ensure visibility across the seas.
These fresh partnerships will deliver expanded reach for the event and unlock new audiences across the globe.
A further collection of major networks will showcase the 2023 Pegasus World Cup presented by Baccarat. Alongside the host broadcaster, NBC (USA), international coverage includes:
- Sky Sports Racing (UK and Ireland)
- Polsat (Poland)
- SilkNet (Georgia)
- Setanta (Central and eastern Europe)
- SuperSport (Africa)
- SportsMax (Caribbean)
- Racing.com (Australia)
- Wasu.tv (China)
- Reuters will provide race content to news outlets across the world.
All broadcasters continue to be supported with an expanded suite of promotional and highlights content to help attract an engaged audience and enhanced interest in the event.
A total of eight races (seven graded) worth $5.3 million in combined purse winnings will be offered on Pegasus Day, led by the $3 million Pegasus World Cup presented by Baccarat (G1) and the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf presented by Qatar Racing (G1). The two feature races will co-headline the race card at 1/ST’s Gulfstream Park in South Florida which is being distributed to a global audience through a 90-minute bespoke on-air package live at 16:30 local time / 21:30 GMT.
Trainer Brad Cox is confident that his stable star and leading fancy – CyberKnife – can deliver a big career finale performance in the Pegasus World Cup, having followed the same pre-race training campaign to former champion, Knicks Go. Other notable contenders include progressive five-year-old Proxy, trained by Michael Stidaham wearing the famous Godolphin blue colours, who earned G1 credentials last year. While White Abarrio, a G1 course and distance winner, will run for defending champion trainer Saffie Joseph Junior.
Frank Sale, Managing Director of HBA Media, said:
“We are pleased to have landed new broadcast agreements for the seventh running of the Pegasus World Cup. It is a pleasure to work with the terrific team at 1/ST and we are delighted to have ensured that Miami’s most fashionable race day continues to grow.”
Gregg Colvin, Chief Executive Officer, 1/ST CONTENT, added:
“We are excited to be working with HBA Media to bring the Pegasus World Cup to an expanded global audience. The interest in the Pegasus World Cup and the influence it has on the international racing calendar reflects 1/ST’s commitment to excellence and innovation as we work to redefine the experience of our sport.”
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