SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Saratoga Race Course will be prominently featured on television in 2014, with NBC, the NBC Sports Network, Fox Sports 1, and MSG+ all signed on to present live coverage of many of the historic track’s most prestigious races.
For the fourth straight year, the NBC Sports Group will be at the Spa on several Saturdays and will present national broadcasts of the track’s two most lucrative races: the Grade 1, $1.5 million Whitney on August 2 and the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers on August 23. Both the Whitney and the Travers will be shown live on NBC. In addition, NBC will show the Grade 1, $500,000 Test on August 2 and the Grade 1, $500,000 Ballerina on August 23.
The NBC Sports Group’s coverage will conclude on August 30 when the NBC Sports Network broadcasts the Grade 1, $600,000 Woodward and the Grade 1, $500,000 Forego.
The Whitney, Travers, and Woodward broadcasts are all part of the NBC Sports Group’s “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In” series.
FOX Sports 1 will be present at Saratoga for the first time and is slated to show three graded stakes on national broadcasts as part of “The Jockey Club Tour on FOX” series.
During opening weekend, on Sunday, July 20, FOX Sports 1 will show the Grade 1, $300,000 Coaching Club American Oaks. On Sunday, August 10, Fox Sports 1 will show the Grade 2, $200,000 Saratoga Special and one week later will broadcast the Grade 1, $500,000 Sword Dancer Invitational on Sunday, August 17.
Racing fans in New York state and in the New York City metropolitan area will be able to watch seven broadcasts offered by the MSG+ network, which will feature racing on one Sunday and six Fridays during the meet.
Saratoga Race Course will host the inaugural Saratoga Showcase Day on August 24, and MSG+ will offer a one-hour broadcast showing some of the stakes action. Saratoga Showcase Day will include six stakes, all restricted to New York-breds.
The newly created “Friday Live at Saratoga” series will feature the Curlin on July 25, Smirnoff Sorbet Caress on August 1, Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame on August 8, the John Morrissey on August 15, and the Grade 1 Personal Ensign on August 22. A broadcast of the Riskaverse on August 29 also is scheduled. The races on “Friday Live at Saratoga” are subject to change.
NYRA and MSG+ are also pleased to present 30 minutes of racing-related programming seven days a week, in addition to seven live one-hour broadcasts.
On race days, “Saratoga Insider” will highlight the top races and news from the day with hosts Jason Blewitt and Richard Migliore. Viewers can also look forward to previews of the next day’s card as well as upcoming stakes and interviews with key players in the industry. Handicapper Andy Serling and paddock analyst Maggie Wolfendale will be regular contributors to this program, which encourages fan interaction through its Twitter segment.
The National Racing Report will air on Tuesday evenings and feature recaps and in-depth analysis from hosts Jason Blewitt, Richard Migliore and Andy Serling regarding the nation’s top stakes races from the previous weekend.
“Every summer, Saratoga Race Course hosts the premiere race meet in the country,” said NYRA President and CEO Chris Kay. “Through our partnerships with the NBC Sports Group, Fox Sports 1, and MSG+, racing fans not just in New York but also throughout the country can watch the outstanding action from Saratoga. While there is no substitute for spending a day at Saratoga, viewers at home can still enjoy the excitement of racing from our historic venue.”