1751 Gentilly Blvd.,
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jim Mulvihill, Communications and Pari-Mutuel Marketing Manager, 504.948.1233, james.mulvihill@fgno.com
BANK OF AMERICA
COMING TO FAIR GROUNDS FOR FIRST TIME NOV. 19
Quarter Horse Racing’s Championship Event Features Four Grade I Races;
Big Night Will Kick Off 2010-2011 Starlight Racing Series
NEW ORLEANS (Wednesday, July 14, 2010) – The fastest horses in the world will meet in New Orleans for the first time when Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots hosts the Bank of America Challenge Championships with four Grade I races for American Quarter Horses on November 19. The Friday night program will feature 13 stakes races in all, with purses worth more than $1.1 million.
The Bank of America Challenge Championships represent Quarter Horse racing’s closest equivalent to Thoroughbred racing’s Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Entrants for the six Challenge Championship races and six additional stakes are required to qualify in regional finals at the premier Quarter Horse meets throughout
“Bringing the Challenge Championships to
In addition to the Challenge Championships, the AQHA will host its annual Racing Conference in
The Challenge Championships also will mark the return of Starlight Racing, the upscale night racing experience with live music, DJs and drink specials. The initial Starlight Racing series during the most recent Thoroughbred season grew into one of the city’s premier social events, with thousands of well-heeled partygoers making Fair Grounds the place to “see and be seen” on those Friday nights.
Winners of more than 60 major stakes races throughout the year qualify for the Challenge Championships in their respective divisions. Those races are held at leading Quarter Horse tracks such as Los Alamitos (Southern California), Ruidoso Downs (
The Challenge Championships will be held six days prior to Opening Day of the 2010-2011 Thoroughbred Racing Season on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25.
Challenge Championship Races
Bank of
$350,000 Guaranteed, 3-Year-Olds & Older, 440 yards
Adequan Racing Challenge
$200,000 Guaranteed, 3-Year-Olds, 400 yards
John Deere Racing Challenge Juvenile Championship (G2)
$150,000 Guaranteed, 2-Year-Olds, 350 yards
Merial Racing Challenge Distaff Championship (G1)
$125,000 Guaranteed, Fillies & Mares, 3-Year-Olds & Older, 400 yards
Red Cell Distance Championship (G1)
$125,000 Guaranteed, 3-Year-Olds & Older, 870 yards
Pfizer Starter Allowance Championship
$75,000 Guaranteed, 3-Year-Olds & Older, 350 yards
Undercard Stakes
Farnam Stakes
$25,000 Guaranteed, 3-Year-Olds & Older, 440 yards
John Deere Stakes
$25,000 Guaranteed, 3-Year-Olds, 400 yards
Nutrena Starter Allowance
$25,000 Guaranteed, 3-Year-Olds & Older who have started for a claiming price of $5,000 or less, 350 yards
Q-Racing Stakes
$25,000 Guaranteed, 2-Year-Olds, 350 yards
Los Alamitos Stakes
$25,000 Guaranteed, 3-Year-Olds & Older, 870 yards
AQHA Members Plus Stakes
$25,000 Guaranteed, Fillies and Mares, 3-Year-Olds & Older, 400 yards
Louisiana-bred stakes race
Race name, conditions and distance to be announced
About the Bank of
The Bank of America Racing Challenge is the richest and most successful program in American Quarter Horse racing today – a championship series developed for the “World’s Fastest Horse.” The Bank of America Racing Challenge program provides more racing opportunities and bigger purses for older American Quarter Horses than any other program throughout the
About the American Quarter Horse Association
The American Quarter Horse Association is the world’s largest single-breed equine registry and membership organization, with more than 5 million American Quarter Horses registered worldwide and AQHA membership numbering more than 300,000. AQHA’s mission is to record and preserve the pedigrees of the American Quarter Horse while maintaining the integrity of the breed and to provide beneficial services for its members which enhance and encourage American Quarter Horse ownership and participation.
About Bank of
Bank of America is one of the world’s largest financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small- and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the
About Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, the nation’s third-oldest racetrack, has been in operation since 1872. Located in
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James J. Mulvihill
Communications & Pari-Mutuel Marketing Manager
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots
A Churchill Downs Incorporated Company
1751 Gentilly Boulevard,
504.948.1233 [office]
504.481.8770 [cell]
504.944.7853 [fax]
2010 Quarter Horse Racing Season Opens Sept. 14
2010 Bank of
2010-2011 Thoroughbred Racing Season Opens Nov. 25
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