Taking a page from Nascar's book, UPS
became the exclusive marketing partner of the Derby winner in an agreement
with jockey Kent Desormeaux and IEAH Stables, the ownership group.
If Big Brown wins the Triple Crown, the valuation of the company's partnership
``would be phenomenal,'' said Eric Wright, vice president of research at Joyce
Julius & Associates Inc., an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based company that
measures the value of sports sponsorships. ``We struggle with any sense of how
large it would be. It's uncharted waters.''
Exposure for UPS during the Derby, including the 56 seconds in which
television viewers were able to see the company's logo on Desormeaux's pants,
was estimated at $1.4 million by Joyce Julius.
A Triple Crown winner might boost a horse-racing industry dogged by the
tragedies of Eight Belles and Barbaro. The two horses were euthanized after
sustaining injuries in Triple Crown races.