NORTH AMERICAN HARNESS DRIVERS SIGN FIRST-EVER DEALS FOR UNIFORM ADVERTISING WITH SSG GLOVES

Agreements signal start of new corporate branding opportunity

Bala Cynwyd, PA (June 28, 2004) - Five top harness racing drivers in North America have signed exclusive sponsorship/endorsement agreements with SSG, a worldwide manufacturer and marketer of Equestrian riding gloves, located in Buffalo, NY and Toronto, Canada. The SSG logo will be highly visible on the uniform colors (shirts and jackets) of drivers John Campbell, Chris Christoforou, Luc Oullette, Dave Palone and Brian Sears for the 2004 racing season. The drivers will also wear SSG Gloves when racing.

Although advertising on harness driver uniforms is an established branding vehicle in Europe, these agreements are a first in North America and establish the human talent of harness racing as a new platform for corporate marketers, offering widespread exposure to millions of fans and bettors of this historic sport. Announcement of the agreements was made by Charles Geffen, President, and Bill Haughton, Director of Harness Racing, of Branding Rights LLC, a brand consulting firm and exclusive agent for the leading drivers and trainers in the sport.

The opportunity for audience reach through harness racing is enormous with daily television distribution of racing product via simulcast to racetracks (inter-track simulcasting), casinos and off-track betting venues (teletheatre simulcasting), and to homes and offices via cable, satellite, pay-per-view and the Internet. Each driver averages about 2,000 race starts and hundreds of trips to the winner’s circle every year. Collectively, Campbell, Christoforou, Ouellette, Palone and Sears have won about 40,000 races and $425,000,000 in purse money.

Created by Branding Rights, the “Standardbred Stars” program launches the new harness racing platform with an industry-leading product worn by many of the sports’ professional and amateur participants. Uniforms of harness drivers are registered with the United States Trotting Association or Standardbred Canada, and consist of their colors (on shirts, jackets and helmets) and white pants. And, unlike thoroughbred jockeys whose colors (silks) are owned by the horse owner, harness drivers race year-round in their own uniform.

“As both an owner of Standardbreds, and a supplier of Equestrian gloves, I wanted to show my support for this great sport and be a founding sponsor in this exciting program,” said Ed James, President/CEO of SSG, based in Buffalo, NY. “The exposure and brand reinforcement for SSG from these endorsements will also complement our marketing programs in other Equestrian disciplines.”

“The SSG driver sponsorships evidence a growing interest in harness racing among corporate advertisers,” said Campbell, the sport’s all-time leading purse money earner with over $220,000,000 and 9,000 wins. Campbell, while based at The Meadowlands, races at many tracks during the year as do other top drivers. Christoforou, based at Woodbine and Mohawk Raceway in Toronto, has $50,000,000 in lifetime purse earnings and was second in North America in 2003 with over $8,000,000. Ouellette, now based in Toronto after a few years at The Meadowlands, has $90,000,000 in lifetime purse earnings and almost 7,000 wins. Palone, based at The Meadows (near Pittsburgh) with lifetime purse earnings over $40,000,000 and over 9,000 wins, was Harness Tracks of America’s Driver of the Year in 1999, 2000 and 2003. Sears, based at The Meadowlands, is currently the leading driver in North America in purse earnings this year, with lifetime earnings approaching $30,000,000.

“This is an exciting time for the entire Standardbred Industry,” said Haughton, whose father, Billy Haughton, is recognized as one of the greatest drivers in the history of harness racing. “The expansion of simulcasting, revenues from casino and slot venues, increases in purse money that lead to better quality racing, and fresh marketing efforts are creating new, younger race fans and a more diverse audience.”

Branding Rights develops, packages, markets and sells innovative rights programs for physical, intellectual and celebrity properties in untapped or underdeveloped market spaces that offer brand owners/advertisers new platforms with attractive demographics.