Unique Breeders’ Cup Commemorative Bottle To Benefit PDJF

Second 2020 Maker’s Mark® Bottle in Partnership with Keeneland Raises Additional Funds for Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund

FOR RELEASE OCTOBER 26, 2020

LEXINGTON, KY – With the Nov. 6-7 return of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships to Keeneland Race Course, a unique commemorative item available to race fans and bourbon lovers alike will also be a great way to benefit a worthy cause. Maker’s Mark®, the official bourbon of the Breeders’ Cup, has partnered with Keeneland for the second time in 2020 to create a uniquely designed, limited-edition bottle with proceeds supporting the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.

This distinctive collectible is a stunning all-white Maker’s Mark bottle featuring the Breeders’ Cup 2020 logo, a green wax Keeneland medallion, and a green and gold Keeneland strip stamp over purple wax sealing the bottle in the bourbon’s trademark style.

The bottles will go on sale in limited quantities at select local retailers around Kentucky on Friday, October 30.

“On behalf of the men and women that the PDJF serves, we are grateful for the support of Keeneland and Maker’s Mark for making the PDJF the charity beneficiary of the sales of these bottles commemorating the Breeders’ Cup World Championships,” said PDJF President Nancy LaSala.

“Keeneland served the very first cases of Maker’s Mark ever sold,” said Rob Samuels, eighth-generation whisky maker and Managing Director of Maker’s Mark, whose grandparents founded the brand. “With that in mind, we wanted to commemorate the return of the Breeders’ Cup to Keeneland and felt that supporting the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund was the perfect way to celebrate our long partnership.”

Maker’s Mark and Keeneland released a different commemorative bottle earlier this summer before Keeneland’s Summer Meet in July, which featured the running of the Maker’s Mark Mile, a Grade 1 turf race. That bottle sold out quickly with those proceeds also benefiting PDJF.

“This gorgeous Maker’s Mark bottle is a wonderful way for our fans to celebrate the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland and to benefit the important work of the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund,” said Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason. “We especially thank our partner, Maker’s Mark, for their decades-long support of Keeneland and Thoroughbred racing.”

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About PDJF 

The PDJF is a 501(c)(3) charity providing financial assistance to approximately 60 former jockeys who have suffered catastrophic on-track injuries. Founded in 2006, the PDJF has disbursed over $11 million to permanently disabled jockeys, most of whom have sustained paralysis or traumatic brain injuries. The Fund is a cooperative effort among race tracks, jockeys, horsemen, owners, and racing fans. Visit www.pdjf.org for further information.

Contact: Nancy LaSala, PDJF President, (630) 234-6691, [email protected]

About Keeneland 

For more than 80 years, the Keeneland Association has devoted itself to the health and vibrancy of the Thoroughbred industry. The world’s largest Thoroughbred auction house, Keeneland conducts four sales a year, in January, April, September and November, and presents online auctions through the Keeneland Digital Sales Ring. Graduates of Keeneland sales dominate racing across the globe at every level. In April and October, Keeneland offers some of the highest caliber and richest Thoroughbred racing in the world. In 2020, The Summer Meet at Keeneland presented five days of racing from July 8-12. Keeneland hosted the Breeders’ Cup World Championships in 2015 and will hold the event again on Nov. 6-7, 2020, and in 2022. Uniquely structured, Keeneland is a privately held company with a not-for-profit mission that returns its earnings to the industry and the community in the form of higher purses and millions of dollars donated in support of horse industry initiatives and charitable contributions for education, research, and health and human services throughout Central Kentucky. Keeneland also maintains the Keeneland Library, a world-renowned public research institution with the mission of preserving information about the Thoroughbred industry. To learn more, visit Keeneland.com.

Contact: Amy Gregory, Communications Director, (859) 288-4376, [email protected]

About Maker’s Mark® Bourbon 

In 1953, in Loretto, Kentucky, Bill Samuels, Sr., fulfilled his dream to create a handmade and delicious bourbon. He decided to make his whisky in small batches, using soft red winter wheat to enhance the softness and sweetness. He then rotated each barrel by hand for consistency, and finally, aged each barrel to taste. Bill Samuels, Sr., transformed bourbon from a “commodity” into a premium handmade spirit, and today Maker’s Mark® continues to make its bourbon the same way. In recent years, Maker’s Mark has introduced thoughtful, super-premium innovations to its portfolio including Maker’s Mark 46™, Maker’s Mark® Cask Strength, and Maker’s Mark Private Selection®, the brand’s first-ever custom barrel program. In 1980, the Maker’s Mark distillery became the first distillery in America to be designated a National Historic Landmark and has also been decreed as the “world’s oldest operating bourbon whiskey distillery” by Guinness World Records. It remains one of the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s most popular tourist destinations, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. For more information, visit makersmark.com.  

Contact: Dan Burgess, Doe-Anderson PR, (502) 314-4006, [email protected]

WE MAKE OUR BOURBON CAREFULLY.  PLEASE ENJOY IT THAT WAY.

Maker’s Mark®, Maker’s Mark® Cask Strength and Maker’s Mark 46™ Bourbon Whisky, 45-57% Alc./Vol.

©2020 Maker’s Mark Distillery, Inc., Loretto, KY.