MARKETING, RESEARCH INITIATIVES TO HIGHLIGHT WESTERN CONFERENCE ON RACING

A comprehensive marketing presentation will top the agenda for the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's presentation at the fourth annual Western Conference on Racing, to be held Friday, Nov. 2 from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 noon at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.

The NTRA will present an overview of market and consumer research it has conducted during the last three years, offer a preview of future research initiatives and also provide an update on other NTRA programs. The Conference also will feature the presentation of the NTRA Commissioner's Cup. Previous winners were Clement Hirsch (1998), the Honorable Ken Maddy (1999) and R.D. Hubbard (2000).

"Given our sport's broad customer base in the Western region, we think it's particularly appropriate at the Western Conference on Racing to focus on what the aggregate marketplace has told us," said NTRA Commissioner Tim Smith.

The NTRA is a broad-based coalition of horseracing interests, including the American Quarter Horse Association, charged with increasing popularity of Thoroughbred racing and improving economic conditions for industry participants. The NTRA and Breeders' Cup Limited also conduct the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, racing's year-end Championship consisting of eight races and $13 million in purses and awards, and the Breeders' Cup National Stakes Program, which are funded by the industry's owners and breeders. The NTRA has offices in Lexington, Ky., and New York City. A compendium of NTRA press releases appears on the NTRA Web site, ntra.com, and at the Web site for the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, breederscup.com. Contact the NTRA at ntra@ntra.com.