Hollywood to Play Role in the Super Bowl of Horse Racing
The 30th running of the Breeders’ Cup takes place Nov. 1-2 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., and Hollywood will play a role in what those in the sport of kings call the Super Bowl of horse racing. NBC Sports airs the races live, with the headline event — the Breeders’ Cup Classic — set to go off between 8 and 9 p.m. ET.
A Horse in the Race
Owner; horse (race)
Gary Barber (MGM chairman-CEO); Ron the Greek (Classic), Laugh Track (Sprint)
Jim Rome (talkshow host); Mizdirection (Turf Sprint, defending champ)
Andrew Lloyd Webber (composer); The Fugue (Turf)
Norton Herrick (Herrick Entertainment); Brujo de Olleros (Dirt Mile), Street Sailing (Juvenile Fillies Turf)
Sound of Music, Thunder of Hoofbeats
Hosted in collaboration with Hip Card Prods., Songs in the Saddle, a concert in the track’s infield, will be held after the running of the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Singers include Kristin Chenoweth, Toni Braxton, Jakob Dylan, Macy Gray, Joan Osborne, Dame and Jenny O. Performances also will take place between races.
A Feast for Foodies
Wolfgang Puck Catering will serve more than 5,000 VIP attendees and guests in the Trackside Marquee, Frontrunner, Sierra Vista, Trophy Lounge, and the newly renovated Chandelier Room areas.
Bobby Flay will host Taste of the World on the evening of Nov. 1, an invitation-only event at the Huntington Library in nearby San Marino. The soiree features more than a dozen chefs.
A Day for Philanthropists
City of Hope in Duarte, Calif., is the featured charity of the two-day event. Breeders’ Cup has pledged to raise a minimum of $50,000 for the facility’s research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other diseases.
Showbiz Breeders’ Cup Ambassadors*
Bobby Flay (also a Breeders’ Cup board member), Bo Derek (California horse racing commission member), Elizabeth Banks, Laura Bell Bundy, Toby Keith, John Ortiz, Jim Rome
*A group of horse racing fans and owners who serve as representatives for the 2013 event.
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