Two of the Ten Races Carry a Sportsbook’s Name

Some of the more high-profile races will be named for betting sponsors. This includes the DraftKings Acorn Stakes and DraftKings Travers Stakes. The Belmont Stakes will be presented by NYRA Bets, the New York Racing Association’s own betting platform.

Four Races, One Points Table

The four Grade 1 races in the Oaks Division include: the Longines Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs (30 April), the DraftKings Acorn Stakes at Belmont Park (4 June), Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga (24 July) and the Alabama Stakes at Saratoga (21 August).

Points are awarded in each race of the Series, with "a $1 million prize pool shared among the three highest-ranked horses in the final standings".

The division winner is invited to the TCS Championship Race at Churchill Downs on 25 September, with a guaranteed bonus for starting that "could be worth as much as $1 million if she wins".

The Derby Division Keeps Six

All ten races in the series, including the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (1 May), the Belmont Stakes (5 June), the Matt Winn Stakes (3 July), the Jim Dandy Stakes (31 July), the DraftKings Travers Stakes (28 August) and the TCS Championship (25 September), will be nationally televised on NBC or FOX.

What the Two Executives Say It Is For

Chief executive Bill Carstanjen calls the addition "an important next step in building a season-long platform to showcase the sport’s best horses", and says rewarding excellence gives fans "even more reasons to follow the sport from one marquee race to the next".

NYRA president and chief executive David O’Rourke frames it as a title and a route: "The Oaks Division gives three-year-old fillies a championship of their own," linking four top races "into one points race from Louisville to Saratoga". For the winner, "it opens the door to take on the colts in September", a matchup "fans have always wanted to see".

A fillies-versus-colts meeting in a televised championship race is as much a betting product as a sporting one. Its announcement does not make clear the financial terms, including how the $22 million in prize money is split, or what the series handles.