The governing body of elite horse racing in New Zealand is moving to forge closer links with its counterparts in the US via a deal with 1/ST, a racing entertainment company.
New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) partnership with 1/ST will grant the authority access to content from prominent US racing venues such as California’s Santa Anita Park and Florida’s Gulfstream Park.
The company hopes to connect its own high-profile racedays, such as the Auckland Thoroughbred Racing’s Champions Day on 8 March 2025, with this year’s Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream on 25 January and the California Crown at Santa Anita on 27 September.
A central part of the partnership is an initiative dubbed ‘Golden Ticket’. This will offer winning horses direct entry into high-profile races like the Pegasus World Cup, the World Pool New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes, the Pegasus World Cup Turf, California Crown and Champion Spring Series, among others.
“This partnership marks an exciting milestone in showcasing New Zealand racing on the world stage,” commented Chief Operating Officer of NZTR, Darin Balcombe.
“The Golden Ticket concept creates a unique pathway for international competition, enriching the experience for racing participants and fans alike.”
Based in the US, 1/ST has specialised in racing content and technology for the past couple of years with an operational focus on driving the profile and reach of North American racing.
This has seen the company engage extensively with overseas racing stakeholders and authorities, many of which are keen to connect with the US horse racing sector at a time of growth for the national betting industry in the country.
1/ST’s notable deals last year included partnerships with major media outlets the American Racing Channel (ARC), the UK racecourse operating group Arena Racecourse Company (ARC), and French sports authority France Gallop.
Commenting on the firm’s latest push in New Zealand, 1/ST President, Aidan Butler, said: “This partnership with NZTR exemplifies our commitment to elevating Thoroughbred racing globally.
“By linking these iconic racedays and supporting international competition, we’re looking to drive innovation, collaboration and global excitement in the sport.”
Horse racing has had a difficult couple of years, having been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. While the sport is not alone in this regard – most sports lost out on much needed hospitality revenue due to lockdown conditions – it has exacerbated its difficulties.
Stakeholders have been searching for new ways to engage audiences and extend reach as a way of meeting these challenges. In the UK, for example, the creation of the Racing League attempted to introduce a football-style regional team format to the sport.
A more recent endeavour has been the creation of Racing1, a cross industry initiative involving 1/ST and the ARC alongside leading Australian betting operator Tabcorp and the UK-based Racecourse Media Group (RMG).
Racing1 announced this week that it aims to target online casino platforms and other gaming operators which do not focus foremost on sports betting, sportsbooks looking to offer racing betting for the first time, and operators looking to outsource risk management or enhance racing content.
“Racing can be complicated, particularly for those unfamiliar with the space, and a key driver behind Racing1 is to simplify integration and contractual efforts for customers, whilst offering a fully outsourced 24/7 industry-leading offering direct to platforms and operators,” said Jack Whitaker, spokesperson for Racing1 and Commercial Manager at ARC.
“It also signals Racing1’s wider intent to return better value to racing’s key stakeholders through more international deals, not merely through the domestic operators where racing is seen as a more traditionally consumed sport.”
