| Thursday, April 28, 2016 | Contact: Stephen B. Panus (212) 521-5303 |
| Fourth and Final Episode of Triple Crown Training: Where American Pharoah Learned to Be a Racehorse | |
America’s Best Racing (ABR), a multimedia fan development and awareness-building platform created and funded by The Jockey Club, today released the fourth and final episode of a new and original ABR Films video series, “Triple Crown Training: Where American Pharoah Learned to Be a Racehorse.” The series, presented and sponsored by Fasig-Tipton, chronicles the success story of the McKathan Brothers Training Center, where American Pharoah prepped in 2014 prior to his history-defining Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup Grand Slam achievements of 2015, and the instrumental role that Marion County, Fla., plays in the development of young, hopeful 2-year-old Thoroughbreds. Episode 4, American Cleopatra, can be viewed at the links below. America’s Best Racing: https://www.americasbestracing.net/videos/2016-where-american-pharoah-learned-be-racehorse-act-4 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_H7lgJxY1yU The series was directed, produced and filmed by ABR Films and shot on location in Citra, Fla., at the McKathan Brothers Training Center. Fasig-Tipton is North America’s oldest Thoroughbred auction company. “Fasig-Tipton is excited to be the presenting sponsor of this four-part series profiling American Pharoah’s early development with the McKathan brothers, with whom we’ve done business with for more than 25 years,” Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning said. “Additionally, as the only auction house to offer American Triple Crown winners – both Seattle Slew and American Pharoah went through our sales rings – it is a fitting sponsorship for us. America’s Best Racing does a fantastic job of promoting our sport, and we are pleased to be supportive of it.” Kevin and J.B. McKathan have been training young horses since 1989. In 1999, they built the McKathan Brothers Training Center, situated upon 200 acres in Citra. Marion County is an equine-rich area and one of only four major horse racing centers in the world with more than 600 Thoroughbred farms. The last two Triple Crown winners, American Pharoah in 2015 and Affirmed in 1978, learned how to race in Marion County as 2-year-old Thoroughbreds. The four-episode original series takes the viewer on a journey into Marion County and explores why this successful, limestone-rich region has become the go-to nursery and primary education facility for young, upstart Thoroughbreds. Along the way, viewers are introduced to Kevin and J.B. McKathan as well as their farm manager Chris Alexander and the process and preparation that talented and precocious 2-year-old Thoroughbreds undergo while under the care and tutelage of the McKathan Brothers. The series concludes with an introduction to American Cleopatra, the full sister of Triple Crown champion American Pharoah, who is currently in training at the McKathan Brothers Training Center and preparing for her highly anticipated debut in the summer of 2016. The first three episodes can be viewed here: Episode 1, Welcome to Marion County Episode 2: Meet the McKathan Brothers Episode 3: Becoming a Racehorse About America’s Best Racing: America’s Best Racing is a multimedia new fan development and awareness-building platform, initiated by The Jockey Club, designed to increase the profile and visibility of North America’s best Thoroughbred racing events, with a primary focus on the sport’s lifestyle and competition. You can follow America’s Best Racing at americasbestracing.net as well as on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Google+, Instagram, and Snapchat. About Fasig-Tipton: Founded in 1898, Fasig-Tipton is North American’s first Thoroughbred Auction House. Headquarted in Lexington, Kentucky, Fasig-Tipton conducts 12 sales annually in Lexington; Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; Timonium, Md.; and Miami. Fasig-Tipton counts 19 Kentucky Derby winners among its numerous champions and classic-winning sales graduates worldwide, including Seattle Slew and American Pharoah, the only American Triple Crown winners to be offered at public auction. You may learn more about Fasig-Tipton at fasigtipton.com, as well as on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and WordPress. | |