NEW YORK – August 23, 2012 – The NBC Sports Group’s Summer at Saratoga live horse racing from Saratoga Race Course continues this Saturday, 4-6 p.m. ET, on NBC with coverage of the 143rd running of the Grade 1, $1 million Travers as well as the Grade 1, $500,000 Foxwoods King’s Bishop, the Grade 1, $500,000 Test and the Grade 2, $250,000 Ballston Spa presented by Jose Cuervo.
COMMENTATORS: Laffit Pincay, III hosts NBC’s coverage alongside Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens and veteran horseracing analyst Randy Moss. Joining them are reporter/handicapper Bob Neumeier and reporter Donna Brothers.
NBCSports.com will feature highlights and features from every race, plus online-only features by NBC Sports and NBC’s on-air talent.
THE TRAVERS: Eleven emerging 3-year-olds will assemble for the 143rd running of the Grade 1, $1 million Travers, each one looking to position himself for a run at end-of-the-year honors with a victory in the 1 ¼-mile race. Since the advent of naming divisional championships in 1936, 18 Travers winners have been named Champion 3-Year-Old Male, most recently Summer Bird in 2009. And with the stars of the spring now out of the picture, Saturday’s “Mid-Summer Derby” takes on new meaning. Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin will saddle Alpha, the 5-2 morning line favorite for the Travers. Earlier this meet, Alpha was victorious in the Jim Dandy at Saratoga, a race which has produced 16 Travers winners. Jim Dandy runner up Neck ‘n Neck, Haskell runner-up Nonios, and Curlin Stakes winner Street Life are among those ready to challenge Alpha for Travers glory.
The broadcast will include three additional graded races: The Grade 1 Foxwoods King’s Bishop for 3-year-old colts sprinting seven furlongs on the dirt features a highly anticipated match-up between Woody Stephens winner Trinniberg and Amsterdam winner Currency Swap; the Grade 1 Test for the best 3-year-old filly dirt sprinters, including Bob Baffert’s Grade 1 winner Contested; and the Grade 2 Ballston Spa presented by Jose Cuervo.
NBC SPORTS GROUP SUMMER AT SARATOGA REMAINING COVERAGE (All Times ET)
Saturday, September 1 – 5-6 p.m. ET – NBC – Grade 1, $750,000 Woodward. Grade 1, $500,000 Forego, Grade 2, $250,000 Bernard Baruch Handicap
Saratoga Race Course was named one of the world’s top 10 venues of the 20th century by Sports Illustrated. From late July through Labor Day, many of the sport’s top owners, trainers, jockeys, and horses gather in Saratoga Springs for the premier thoroughbred racing meet in the country. First held in 1863, the Saratoga meet regularly draws more than 20,000 passionate racing fans to the track on a daily basis.
NBC SPORTS GROUP AND HORSE RACING: The NBC Sports Group is the exclusive home to the most important and prestigious events in horse racing, including the Triple Crown and the Breeders’ Cup, which was broadcast on NBC from 1984-2005. Last year marked the first time that all three Triple Crown races appeared on one network since NBC last aired the Triple Crown in 2005. NBC has been the exclusive home of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes since 2001. This year, the NBC Sports Group presented 32 hours of Triple Crown coverage across NBC and NBC Sports Network.
NBC Sports Group is also the home to Summer at Saratoga, and, in collaboration with The Jockey Club, the Road to the Kentucky Derby series that provided live coverage of six major prep races for the 2012 Kentucky Derby.
NYRA: Founded in 1955, and franchised to run thoroughbred racing at New York’s three major tracks (Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course) through 2033, NYRA boasts a lineage that actually stretches back almost 150 years. NYRA tracks are the cornerstone of the state’s thoroughbred business, which contributes more than $2 billion annually to New York State’s urban, suburban and rural economy. In 2011, more than 1.8 million people attended the live races at NYRA tracks. Factoring in nationwide off-track wagering, the average daily betting handle on NYRA races totals more than $8.1 million. NYRA has a vast network of websites, including www.nyra.com, www.belmontstakes.com, and www.nyragroupsales.com. You can also follow NYRA on social media platforms Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and YouTube.