$4.6 MILLION WORTH OF MYSTERY MUTUEL VOUCHERS MAILED TO HOMES NATIONWIDE IN NTRA PROMOTION

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) today announced that vouchers worth $4.6 million -- including a $2 million grand prize -- have been mailed to nearly 900,000 consumers as part of this weekend's NTRA Mystery Mutuel Voucher promotion, presented by Long John Silver's. The voucher giveaway is the NTRA's sixth such promotion dating back to August 2000. The vouchers are redeemable for cash on August 3 at participating racetracks and OTBs. The grand prize for subsequent Mystery Mutuel Voucher promotions will be increased by $250,000 until the grand prize is redeemed.

Mystery Mutuel Vouchers are coded tickets worth from $2 to $2 million that are distributed in local markets via direct mail, accompanied by customized brochures. During the first five Mystery Mutuel Voucher promotions, more than $10 million worth of vouchers have been circulated, resulting in double-digit increases in pari-mutuel handle and attendance at most participating sites compared to the same weekend date from the prior year. The 24 sites participating on August 3 are:

Aqueduct
Arlington Park
Blue Ribbon Downs
Calder Race Course
Canterbury Park
Connecticut OTB
Del Mar Thoroughbred Club
Delaware Park
Emerald Downs
Fairplex Park
Hollywood Park
Hoosier Park
Los Alamitos
Maryland Jockey Club (Laurel Park and Pimlico Racecourse)
Meadowlands Racetrack
Mountaineer Park
Prairie Meadows
Retama Park
River Downs
Ruidoso Downs
Sam Houston Race Park
Saratoga Racecourse
Sportsman's Park

The Mystery Mutuel Voucher redemption coincides with major stakes, including the Whitney Handicap at Saratoga and Del Mar's San Clemente Handicap. "Based on member participation and voucher redemption rates that far exceed the marketing industry norm, we feel the Mystery Mutuel Voucher promotion is one of the most effective direct mail initiatives in all of sports," said Keith Chamblin, NTRA senior vice president-industry relations and marketing. "Again we hope to drive attendance and handle at all 24 of our participating NTRA-member sites. This is a very big weekend on the racing calendar with the Whitney on Saturday and the Haskell Invitational, Jim Dandy Stakes and San Diego Handicap on Sunday, and we'd love to help get it off on the right foot with big crowds and a lucky fan going home $2 million richer."

The promotion features model lists for tracks to augment their mailings, provided at no cost by the NTRA, and volume-generated discounts on printing and mailing by Presort Services, the NTRA's official supplier for integrated marketing services, which offers customized post-event analysis for each site.

The NTRA is a broad-based coalition of horseracing interests, including the American Quarter Horse Association, charged with increasing popularity of horseracing and improving economic conditions for industry participants. The NTRA and Breeders' Cup Limited also conduct the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, Thoroughbred racing's year-end Championships consisting of eight races and $13 million in purses and awards, the Breeders' Cup Stakes Program and the Great State Challenge. The NTRA has offices in Lexington, Ky., and New York City. NTRA press releases appear on the NTRA Web site, NTRA.com, and at the Web site for the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, breederscup.com.