TVG and Betfair, Ltd – the largest, legal online wagering businesses in the U.S. and around the world, respectively – have pledged an additional $400,000 to The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) to invite Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta to participate in the Beldame Stakes at Belmont Park. With the $400,000 title sponsorship by TVG-Betfair, NYRA will raise the purse of the historic Grade 1 Beldame Stakes to $1 million if the starting gate includes both Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta, two of the most successful female runners in racing history.

“TVG-Betfair and NYRA are thrilled to offer the owners of these two great horses the chance to participate in a Beldame for the ages,” said Gerard Cunningham, president of Betfair US. “Racing fans have been clamoring for Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta to square off all year and the Beldame presents the best opportunity for the two ‘Horse of the Year’ contenders to meet at one of racing’s best venues.”

Rachel Alexandra, owned by Jess Jackson of Jackson Family Wines, has won her last eight races, including the Preakness Stakes where she became the first filly to win the race since 1924. Record executive and co-founder of A&M Records Jerry Moss owns Zenyatta, named after the album Zenyatta Mondatta by “The Police”, who remains undefeated in 12 career starts and won last year’s Eclipse Award as champion older filly or mare. The Beldame will be run on October 3 at 1 1/8 miles, a distance over which Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta have each captured three Grade 1 events.

“We are very excited to partner with TVG-Betfair and provide the venue and opportunity for fans to see the race of a lifetime,” said NYRA President and CEO Charles Hayward. “Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta are two of the most talented females that thoroughbred racing has ever witnessed, and Belmont Park would be the perfect setting for this dream match-up. We would expect the race to draw a stellar field to be part of racing history.”

Belmont Park and the Beldame Stakes have long, prestigious histories of showcasing the most sensational horses in championship-caliber performances.

Two of the most accomplished distaffers of all time each won back-to-back runnings of the Beldame, with history-making undefeated champion Personal Ensign victorious in 1987 and ’88 and Lady’s Secret capturing the race in 1985 and ’86, with the latter victory part of her Horse of the Year season. Lady’s Secret is one of only three fillies or mares to win the gold Eclipse Award as Horse of the Year, along with Azeri in 2002 and All Along in 1983, but both Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra will be vying for that title this year. Champion Serena’s Song won the Beldame in 1995 following her victories in the Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont and the Haskell, both races won this year by Rachel Alexandra.

Belmont Park has hosted more great races in all divisions than any other track in North America. Some of the most memorable include Affirmed’s determined Belmont Stakes victory by a head to cap his Triple Crown rivalry with Alydar in 1978; the champion filly Rags to Riches stunning defeat of eventual Horse of the Year Curlin in the 2007 Belmont Stakes, and Personal Ensign’s come-from-behind triumph over Kentucky Derby-winning filly Winning Color in the 1988 Maskette Stakes, a precursor of their 1-2 finish in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

About TVG

TVG, the official TV and Interactive Wagering partner of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) and a subsidiary of Betfair Group Ltd, the premier e-gaming betting community, is among the most widely distributed horseracing networks in the world. TVG is the largest legal online gaming company in the US, accepting over $500 million in wagers in 2008. The company has demonstrated its commitment to the racing industry, its owners, tracks and fans through the sponsorship of several preeminent races including the TVG Breeders Cup Mile, TVG/Betfair Hollywood Gold Cup and Claiming Crown. TVG viewers in certain areas can wager interactively on races via telephone, the Internet, TVG Mobile or Interactive Television by establishing a wagering account online at www.tvg.com or by telephone at 1-888-PLAY-TVG.

About Betfair

Betfair is the world’s biggest online betting community and pioneered the first successful betting exchange in 2000. Driven by cutting-edge technology, Betfair enables customers to choose their own odds and bet even after the event has started. The company now processes over six million transactions a day from its two million registered customers around the world. In addition to sports betting, Betfair offers a portfolio of innovative products including casino, exchange games and poker.

Betfair has twice been named the UK’s ‘Company of the Year’ by the Confederation of British Industry and remains one of the only betting companies to win a Queen’s Award for Enterprise, being recognised for Innovation in 2003 and most recently International Trade in 2008.

Betfair currently employs over 1,600 people, principally in London, Malta and Tasmania. The company is a licensed betting operator in the UK, and holds licenses in the United States, Australia, Germany, Austria, Italy and Malta.

About The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA)

Founded in 1955, and franchised to run thoroughbred racing at New York’s three major tracks through 2033, The New York Racing Association Inc. boasts a lineage that actually stretches back almost 150 years. NYRA tracks are the cornerstone of the state’s thoroughbred business, which contributes more than $2 billion annually to New York State’s urban, suburban and rural economy. In 2008, 1,735,715 people attended the live races at NYRA tracks. Factoring nationwide off track wagering, the average daily betting handle on NYRA races alone totals more than $9.7 million every race day. NYRA has a vast network of websites, including www.nyra.com, www.belmontstakes.com, and www.nyragroupsales.com.