Officials of Breeders' Cup Limited, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie announced on September 30th that American Airlines has been named the official airline of the 2004 Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships.

The Breeders' Cup, consisting of eight races with purses and awards totaling $14 million, will be held on Saturday, October 30 at Lone Star Park in the Dallas suburb of Grand Prairie, Tex. This year's event will be televised live by NBC Sports (1:00-6:00 p.m. ET). This is the first time the Breeders' Cup will be held at Lone Star Park and in the Southwest.

The one-year agreement affords American Airlines the designation as official sponsor of the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, with rights to use Breeders' Cup and NTRA trademarks, on site signage and hospitality privileges.

American will also offer exclusive discounted air travel reservations available to Breeders' Cup ticket holders, and the rights to link to from the official Breeders' Cup Website to the American Airlines Website.

"We are delighted that American Airlines has joined us this year as the official airline of the Breeders' Cup, and welcome them to our growing list of national sponsors, said D.G. Van Clief, Jr. president of Breeders' Cup Limited and Commissioner of the NTRA. "American's status as one of the world's great airlines is a perfect fit for the greatest day in international Thoroughbred racing."

"As Dallas Fort Worth's hometown airline, American is honored to be the official airline for an event as revered as The Breeders' Cup, said Al Becker, Corporate Communications, American Airlines. "Each day, American and American Eagle operate more than 700 flights a day to more than 140 cities at DFW, and we look forward to using the scope and reach of our global route network to make The Breeders' Cup an outstanding success for our community."

"American Airlines has long been an outstanding supporter of professional sports in the Dallas Fort Worth area," said Corey Johnsen, president of Lone Star Park. "We're delighted that we were able to assist in forming this partnership, and look forward to American being part of an exciting Breeders' Cup in our home state of Texas."

The American Airlines discount may be obtained in the following manner for flights to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). American is offering 5% off the lowest applicable fare or 10% off the full Coach fare, plus an additional 5% savings for tickets purchased 30 days in advance. If you have not booked your travel plans yet, please call American Airlines at 1-800-433-1790 and reference: STARfile: 50H4AI.