As the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival approaches this weekend, American Pharoah will look to claim the first Triple Crown title since 1978.  Currently standing as the 3-5 line favorite, the thoroughbred is just 1 ½ miles away from making history.  Monster Energy saw this as a massive marketing opportunity, as they reached a record breaking deal with American Pharoah’s owners early Wednesday morning.  The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but is reportedly a seven-figure deal and the largest in the history of horse racing.

The deal will give Monster the right to have its logo on the horse’s pre-race cooling blanket and for the company’s “Monster girls” to surround the horse leading up to the Belmont Stakes.  The company will get its logo on the hats of the Zayats, the family who bred the horse.  Their logo will also be on the collar of jockey Victor Espinoza during the race. 

This is not a traditional endorsement for Monster Beverage, who is mostly known for their affiliation with extreme sports like skateboarding and snowboarding.  However, the VP of Sports Marketing, Mitch Covington indicated that the idea was pure spontaneity and too good of an opportunity to pass up.  Covington said “We can’t wait to be a part of possibly going down in history with our name attached to a fine American icon.” 

Earlier this year, NBC’s coverage of American Pharoah’s victory posted the highest Kentucky Derby overnight rating (10.8) in 23 years and up 7 percent from last year.  This encouraging statistic, along with the social media attention that is sure-to-come bodes well for Monster’s investment.  This exposure alone will likely validate the stock that Monster has put into American Pharoah.

Perhaps what will make Monster’s investment really pay off though, is what could be if the horse manages to pull off the feat that no other horse has in 37 years.  So many people are paying attention because there might be a Triple Crown winner.  This is a tremendous photo-op & share possibility, especially if something special were to happen.  The Triple Crown prestige attributed to American Pharoah will surely pay dividends to the brand that was splashed all around him throughout.  One things is for sure… Monster Beverage will be American Pharoah’s biggest fan this Saturday.