Hooters out as sponsor

Published: June 7, 2008

NEW YORK — Hooters got the boot off Big Brown.

Big Brown jockey Kent Desormeaux won't wear the restaurant chain's logo when the horse goes for the Triple Crown in today's Belmont Stakes. The New York Racing Association told Hooters on Friday that the chain won't be allowed to sponsor Desormeaux because of a conflict with a competing NYRA sponsor.

NYRA told the owners of the chain it would announce a new sponsor before the race.

Hooters said no conflict existed when the owners submitted for sponsorship earlier this week.

"I have never heard of something like this happening,” said Mike McNeil, Hooters VP of marketing. "For them to threaten the jockey with suspension and a fine if he races with the Hooters logo on his pants this close to the biggest race of his life is just mean.”

The Hooters girls popped by the barn this week after the deal was announced and visited Desormeaux and Big Brown.

Sponsorship deals involving racehorses and jockeys are rare. At the Derby, NetJets, a private aviation company, sponsored the jockeys in the race.

By The Associated Press

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