America's Best Racing, a multimedia fan development and awareness platform initiated and funded by The Jockey Club, has received two 2025 Stevie Awards, presented by the 2025 American Business Awards, winning in the categories for Marketing Campaign of the Year–Entertainment & Sports and for Influencer Marketing Campaign of the Year. ABR has also been named a finalist in the 2025 Shorty Awards “Sports” category.
All of the awards are for ABR's ground-breaking campaign, “A Stake in Stardom,” which this week will be represented in the 2025 Kentucky Derby by social media influencer and entrepreneur Griffin Johnson.
Launched in 2022, “A Stake in Stardom” seeks to modernize the perception of Thoroughbred racing by marketing the sport to a new generation of fans. Through the campaign, ABR empowered influencers to become actual owners, allowing them to authentically share the sport's thrills and challenges with their audiences. Participants in the program have included media powerhouses such as NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, comedian and actress Heather McMahan, and Indy Car driver Alexander Rossi.
In the first four months of 2025, the program has generated more than five-million video views. Much of that has been driven by Johnson, who was paired with GI Arkansas Derby winner Sandman (Tapit) via a partnership with West Point Thoroughbreds.
“We are incredibly honored to receive two more awards for “A Stake in Stardom” and to be a finalist for another,” said Dan Tordjman, vice president of TJC Media Ventures/America's Best Racing. “Through long-term storytelling and deeper emotional investment, “A Stake in Stardom” is not only reshaping how racing is marketed, it is redefining who gets to be a part of it. We want to thank our marketing agency Branch & Bramble for launching this program with us, along with our partners at West Point Thoroughbreds.”
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