Longines teams up with Kentucky Oaks

Churchill Downs Racetrack, home of the world famous Kentucky Derby and

Kentucky Oaks, has entered into a long-term agreement with internationally

renowned Swiss watchmaker Longines to serve as entitlement partner of the

Kentucky Oaks and to retain its role as official watch and timekeeper of the

Kentucky Derby.

As a result of its existing and expanded partnership, the Kentucky Oaks has

been renamed the "Longines Kentucky Oaks," and Longines is the official

timekeeper of Churchill Downs Racetrack. Longines will host multiple events

surrounding Longines Kentucky Oaks Day, Friday, and the famed "Run for the

Roses" on Saturday.

As it has in the past, Longines will award watches from the elegant Longines

Saint-Imier Collection to the winning horses' owner, trainer and jockey on both

race days. A Longines digital countdown clock is currently featured on the

Churchill Downs website, www.KentuckyDerby.com, as the official countdown to the

"Greatest Two Minutes in Sports."

Represented by tennis legend and longtime Ambassador of Elegance Stefanie

Graf, Longines will have a strong presence throughout Churchill Downs and other

Derby-affiliated events including Taste of Derby, the Longines Kentucky Oaks

Fashion Contest and the Winner's Party.

Additionally, Longines will sponsor the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile presented

by Longines on Kentucky Derby afternoon and will have timepieces and branded

clocks on display throughout the Churchill Downs facility. The brand's logo will

also be prominently featured on the official Kentucky Derby Red Carpet,

racetrack and other surrounding areas.

Longines Kentucky Oaks 139 is the Kentucky Derby's $1 million companion race

for three-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles and is televised on NBC Sports from

5-6 p.m. (EDT). The Longines Kentucky Oaks features a "Ladies First" theme,

continuing the "Pink Out!" tradition which encourages all attendees to wear pink

to the track. The Longines Kentucky Oaks Fashion Contest will celebrate elegant

Derby style and will award one lucky woman who successfully models her own

personal ensemble on the "pink carpet" a stainless steel and rose gold Longines

Saint-Imier Collection watch featuring a stunning diamond bezel.

"Longines Kentucky Oaks Day is all about the ladies," Churchill Downs

President Kevin Flanery said. "Our female fans continue to respond favorably to

the new traditions of fashion and fun that we have been bringing them over these

last few years, and we feel that the elegant Longines brand is a natural fit for

the feminine spirit of the Longines Kentucky Oaks."

"Our passion at Longines is equestrian sports, so we are delighted to return

for a third year as the official watch and timekeeper of the Kentucky Derby and

to expand our partnership to include the Longines Kentucky Oaks," Longines

President Walter von Känel said. "This partnership embodies the Longines brand

image and philosophy stated in its slogan 'Elegance is an attitude.'"

Longines Kentucky Oaks Day Activities:

The official color of the Longines Kentucky Oaks is pink in celebration of

all the ladies. The Pink Out encourages all Oaks attendees to wear pink or

incorporate pink into their attire to show their support for cancer survivors.

Churchill Downs will be decked out in pink as well, including pink-colored

bunting, flower beds, flags and jockeys' and pony riders' apparel. Churchill

Downs bugler Steve Buttleman will sport a pink uniform as he calls horses to the

post throughout Longines Kentucky Oaks Day.

Ladies of all ages in attendance on Longines Kentucky Oaks Day can enter the

Longines Kentucky Oaks Fashion Contest for the chance to win a stainless steel

and rose gold Longines Saint-Imier Collection watch featuring a stunning diamond

bezel. Entrants showcasing their finest Longines Kentucky Oaks attire will be

judged on the "Pink Carpet" inside Gate 10. Participants are judged by how well

they incorporate pink into their ensemble. Coverage of the contest appears on

NBC Sports Network.

The 2013 Survivors Parade presented by Kroger provides some of the most

memorable and touching moments as cancer survivors invited by Churchill Downs

parade along the main track just moments before the running of the Longines

Kentucky Oaks. This year, Churchill Downs has invited back participants from the

2012 Survivor Parade which was interrupted by storms last year.  

Kentucky Oaks Day -- an unofficial Louisville holiday with many schools and

businesses closed -- is the third largest attended horse race in America only

behind the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. In 2012, 112,552 attended the

festivities, which marked the 12th time in the last 13 years that attendance

topped the 100,000 mark. With a $1 million guaranteed purse, the Longines

Kentucky Oaks is the most lucrative American horse race for three-year-old

fillies. Twenty-six Oaks winners have gone on to be crowned with an Eclipse

Award as the U.S. champion three-year-old filly and nine are enshrined in

racing's Hall of Fame.

The lofty purse reflects the Oaks' status and importance as a sports and

entertainment event. Wagering on the 12-race card in 2012 was a record $39.9

million, which included an unprecedented $11.8 million on the Oaks alone. The

maximum number of starters in the race is 14, and at least 13 fillies have been

in the starting gate for five of the last seven years. The winner receives a

silver trophy, a garland of pink star-gazer lilies and an estimated $564,200

payday.

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