Movie producer DreamWorks and Breeders’ Cup Ltd. partnered in the promotion.

Breeders’ Cup Vice President of Event Marketing Damon Thayer called the promotion a success, as a New York-record (for the Breeders’ Cup) crowd of 54,289 wagered an on-track record $14,658,560.

"As competitive as the New York market is, we were happy to take any edge we could in marketing our event, and "Dreamer" certainly helped," Thayer said. "[DreamWorks] invested $1.2-million into this marketplace and worked with us on branding our event in the movie. We knew by the third race that our relationship had had a positive impact."

"Dreamer" advertisements ran in continuous rotation during commercial breaks on NBC’s five-hour telecast of the Breeders’ Cup. DreamWorks also budgeted for radio, television, and print advertising weeks before the event. The movie is a story about a Kentucky horse trainer who nurses a horse back to health and takes him to the Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Champions.

"We gauge our marketing efforts in three areas: television ratings, simulcast handle, and on-track business, and a movie like "Dreamer" helped in all of those areas," Thayer said. "To have a movie like that so faithful to the Breeders’ Cup concept come out eight days before the event was huge."

Breeders’ Cup served as a technical consultant for the movie, reviewing the script several times for accuracy, and Thayer said that he saw many of the Breeders’ Cup’s suggestions incorporated into the movie’s script.

"Dreamer" grossed $6.3-million during Breeders’ Cup weekend to rank fourth among United States motion pictures. The movie grossed $9.2-million during its opening weekend.—Ed DeRosa