Arena Racing Company (ARC), Britain’s largest racing group, and 1/ST, a leading North American thoroughbred racing and pari-mutuel wagering company, have teamed up to offer new horse racing opportunities in the U.S.
The companies say the collaboration is aimed at opening up new opportunities across some of their feature races. In particular, winners of a selection of races will receive free entry to other races.
The winners of a selection of races at Doncaster Racecourse will be offered free entry to races across 1/ST’s portfolio of tracks in the U.S., including for the inaugural California Crown race day at Santa Anita Park on Sept. 28, and on the Pegasus World Cup program held at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 25 2025.
At the Betfred St Leger Festival at Doncaster, the winner of the Group 2 Betfred May Hill Stakes will receive a free invitation to the $500,000 Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational (GII) at Gulfstream Park in January 2025. The winner of the Carlsberg Danish Pilsner Flying Childers Stakes will receive free entry to the $750,000 California Crown Eddie D. Turf Sprint (GII), run at Santa Anita Park at the end of September.
The winner of the Carousel Club Handicap at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 25 will also get free entry to the All-Weather Championships Mile Final at Newcastle Racecourse on Good Friday, with two other qualifying runs.
ARC and 1/ST will also support any qualifying horse with a subsidy towards their travel.
ARC Director of Media and International Brendan Parnell said the partnership offers the winners of two of the most high-profile races during the Betfred St Leger Festival “the opportunity to take up some exciting opportunities in the USA.”
“Collectively, we’re playing our part to bring US and UK racing closer together across elite races on all surfaces,” added Aidan Butler, president of 1/ST. “At 1/ST, our goal is always the betterment of top-class international fields, a cornerstone project in growing and sustaining the sport we love on both sides of the pond.”
1/ST partners up with bet365, Tabcorp
1/ST has struck several notable deals in recent months.
In March, 1/ST TECHNOLOGY partnered with bet365 to power the operator’s U.S. horse racing offerings via the 1/ST BET product. The partnership saw 1/ST power bet365’s Advance Deposit Wagering (ADW) on horse racing in U.S. jurisdictions where ADW is legal.
Then, in June, 1/ST and ARC joined forces with British media rights company Racecourse Media Group (RMG) and Australian wagering and entertainment firm Tabcorp to create a worldwide racing hub.
The new collaboration created a network of rights holders that will distribute content across multiple international markets. Global and local operators will be able to choose from an array of bespoke racing video, data and wagering solutions in an all-in-one tool product.
The companies said at the time that the new offering will give racing bettors easier access to additional content and services and deliver curated, localized solutions that speak to audiences’ respective wagering preferences.
