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NBC SPORTS PRESENTS BREEDERS’ CUP CHALLENGE SERIES “WIN AND YOU’RE IN” RACES LIVE FROM SARATOGA THIS SATURDAY, SEPT. 4 AT 6 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

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Automatic Berths on the Line for Breeders’ Cup World Championships in Saturday’s Jockey Club Gold Cup and Flower Bowl

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (Sept. 2, 2021) ― The “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In – presented by America’s Best Racing” returns this Saturday, Sept. 4 on NBCSN from 6-7 p.m. ET from Saratoga Race Course with live coverage of the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) and the $600,000 Flower Bowl (G1).

Saturday’s program marks the fifth telecast this year in the “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In – presented by America’s Best Racing” on NBC and NBCSN from some of North America’s most iconic racetracks. The series leads to the 38th Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California, to be held Nov. 5-6 on NBC and NBCSN. The complete series TV schedule can be accessed here.

NBC Sports’ coverage will feature commentary and discussion from its International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn., led by host Britney Eurton, and analysts Randy Moss and Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey, who won 15 Breeders’ Cup races including five victories in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). Reporter Laffit Pincay and handicapper Matt Bernier will be on-site at Saratoga.

The Jockey Club Gold Cup, which had been run at Belmont Park and Aqueduct Racetrack since 1919, and the Flower Bowl, which had been held at Belmont since 1978, will be run at historic Saratoga Race Course for the first time. The Jockey Club Gold Cup winner will gain an automatic berth into the $6 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, and the winner of the Flower Bowl will earn a free berth into the $2 million Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf.

Run at 1 ¼ miles, the Jockey Club Gold Cup drew a six-horse field and is led by Wertheimer and Frere’s Happy Saver, who won his first five races before finishing third in the Suburban Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park in his last start on July 3. The 4-year-old son of Super Saver concluded a 4-for-4 first season of racing when he won the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont last year for trainer Todd Pletcher, who opted to bypass the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland and point to a 2021 campaign.

George Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbred Corp.’s Max Player upset Happy Saver in the Suburban and received a free berth into the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic. Trained by Steve Asmussen, the 4-year-old Max Player, who ended a six-race losing streak in the Suburban, is 3-for-10 lifetime.

Don Alberto Stable’s Forza Di Oro, a winner four times in six starts, easily captured his lone start of the year in a local allowance optional claiming race on July 21 for trainer Bill Mott. A son of 2004 Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Speightstown, Forza Di Oro won Aqueduct’s Discovery Stakes (G3) in November before going on an extended layoff. The Estate of James J. Coleman Jr.’s Chess Chief won the New Orleans Classic Stakes (G2) at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans in March for trainer Dallas Stewart.

The Flower Bowl, run at the Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf distance of 1 3/8 miles, is headlined by George Krikorian’s War Like Goddess. The 4-year-old daughter of 2007 Breeders’ Cup Turf winner English Channel has won two straight graded stakes at 1 ½ miles for trainer Bill Mott, and also won the Orchid Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park in March at 1 3/8 miles. War Like Goddess is 5-for-6 lifetime and enters off an easy win in the Aug. 7 Glens Falls Stakes (G2) at Saratoga, in which she unleashed a devastating turn of foot that saw her go from last-to-first while looping the field through the far turn.

Trainer Chad Brown has won the Flower Bowl six times and will look to add to that mark with Peter Brant’s My Sister Nat (FR) and Alpha Delta Stables Great Island. My Sister Nat finished  second, defeated by a head, in the Flower Bowl last year before running ninth in the Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Keeneland. Seeking her first win this year, My Sister Nat finished second in the Glens Falls. Great Island is two for three this year, winning the Grade 3 WinStar Matchmaker Stakes at Monmouth Park in her most recent start on July 17. Brant also has an international starter in the race with American Bridge (GB). Trained by Jean-Claude Rouget, American Bridge won the 1 1 /4-mile Premio del Giubileo (G3) by 2 ¼ lengths at Milan on June 27.

 

ABOUT NBC SPORTS GROUP

NBC Sports Group serves sports fans 24/7 with premier live events, insightful studio shows, and compelling original programming. The sports media company consists of NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, NBCSN, Golf Channel, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, NBC Sports Regional Networks, NBC Sports Audio Network and NBC Sports Digital, which includes NBCSports.com, NBCOlympics.com,GolfChannel.com, the digital assets of the NBC Sports Regional Networks, NBC Sports EDGE, the NBC Sports Talk franchise, multiple apps, and two transactional sports businesses, GolfNow and SportsEngine, and two direct-to-consumer products – NBC Sports Gold and GolfPass. NBC Sports Group possesses an unparalleled collection of media rights agreements, partnering with some of the most prestigious sports properties in the world: the International Olympic Committee and United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, the NFL, NASCAR, INDYCAR, PGA TOUR, The R&A, PGA of America, USGA, Churchill Downs, Premier League, Tour de France, French Open, and many more.

 

ABOUT AMERICA’S BEST RACING

America’s Best Racing is a multimedia fan development and awareness-building platform, initiated by The Jockey Club, designed to increase the profile and visibility of North America’s best Thoroughbred racing events with a primary focus on the sport’s lifestyle and competition. You can follow America’s Best Racing at AmericasBestRacing.net as well as on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat.

 

ABOUT BREEDERS’ CUP

Breeders’ Cup Limited administers the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred horse racing’s year-end Championships, as well as the Breeders’ Cup Challenge qualifying series, which provides automatic starting positions into the Championships races. The Breeders’ Cup is also a founding member of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition, an organization composed of industry leaders committed to advancing safety measures in Thoroughbred racing and improving the well-being of equine and human athletes.

The 2021 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 Championship races, is scheduled to be held on November 5-6 at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California. The event will be televised live by the NBC Sports Group. Breeders’ Cup press releases appear on the Breeders’ Cup website, breederscup.com. You can also follow the Breeders’ Cup on social media.

BREEDERS’ CUP CHALLENGE SERIES “WIN AND YOU’RE IN” RACING CONTINUES THIS SATURDAY AT 5 P.M. ET ON NBC WITH TVG.COM HASKELL STAKES LIVE FROM MONMOUTH PARK

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OCEANPORT, N.J. (July 15, 2021) — Hot Rod Charlie, a hard-fought second in the Belmont Stakes (G1), headlines a seven-horse field of 3-year-olds set for Saturday’s 1 1/8-mile, $1 million TVG.com Haskell Stakes (G1) live on NBC beginning at 5 p.m. ET. The winner of the TVG.com Haskell Stakes gains a  “Win and You’re In” berth into the $6 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) through the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series.

The Haskell Stakes broadcast is the fourth program this year in the “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In – presented by America’s Best Racing” on NBC and NBCSN from some of North America’s most iconic racetracks. The series leads to the 38th Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California, to be held Nov. 5-6 and televised live on NBC and NBCSN. The complete series TV schedule can be accessed here.

The one-hour broadcast also will include the $500,000 United Nations Stakes (G1) on turf.

NBC Sports’ coverage will feature commentary and discussion on-site at Monmouth led by host Britney Eurton, analysts Randy Moss and Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey, who won 15 Breeders’ Cup races including five victories in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, reporter Laffit Pincay, and handicapper/reporter Eddie Olczyk.

Hot Rod Charlie, owned by Boat Racing, Gainesway Stable, Roadrunner Racing, and William Strauss, and trained by Doug O’Neill, is the 6-5 morning line favorite in the 54th TVG.com Haskell Stakes. Winner of the Louisiana Derby (G2) at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans in March, Hot Rod Charlie finished third in the Kentucky Derby (G1), losing by just a little over 1-length. In the most exciting finish of this year’s Triple Crown races, Hot Rod Charlie battled Essential Quality on even terms through the stretch of the Belmont Stakes in a gallant effort and finished 1 ¼ lengths behind the winner. Hot Rod Charlie will be ridden by Flavien Prat, who won this year’s Preakness Stakes on Rombauer, from post position four.

Two other second-place finishers from the Triple Crown races, Juddmonte’s Mandaloun and Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Midnight Bourbon, should also figure prominently in the Haskell.  Mandaloun, the 2-1 second choice, trained by Brad Cox, was forwardly placed in the Kentucky Derby and finished just a half-length behind Medina Spirit. He resurfaced next on June 13 in the 1 1/16-mile TVG.com Pegasus Stakes. After a poor start, Mandaloun rallied to win by a neck. Florent Geroux has the mount on Mandaloun, breaking from post three.

Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, trainer of Midnight Bourbon, has enjoyed great success at Monmouth Park. In 2007, Asmussen saddled Curlin to a third-place finish in the Haskell, but came back to Monmouth in the fall and won the Breeders’ Cup Classic, clinching the Horse of the Year title. Two years later, the Asmussen-trained filly Rachel Alexandra captured the Haskell by 6 lengths and was later voted the 2009 Horse of the Year.

On Saturday, Midnight Bourbon, ridden by Paco Lopez from post six, is seeking his second win of the year since he captured the Lecomte Stakes (G3) at the Fair Grounds in January. Following a sixth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, Midnight Bourbon delivered a solid performance in the Preakness Stakes (G1), taking the lead in the stretch before being overtaken by Rombauer and losing by 3 ½ lengths.

An intriguing starter now joining the 3-year-old scene is Spendthrift Farm’s Following Sea. Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Following Sea, the 3-1 third choice, broke his maiden in a 6-furlong race at Oaklawn Park on April 10 by 5 ¾ lengths. He started next in a 6 ½-furlong allowance race at Belmont Park on June 3 and rolled to victory by 6 ½ lengths. Joel Rosario will ride Following Sea from post one.

The rest of the field is comprised of locally-based runners Antigravity (David Cohen, post two); Pickin Time (Nik Juarez, post five), and Basso (Isaac Castillo, post seven).

The 1 3/8-mile United Nations Stakes, which drew 10 starters, is led by the Cox-trained 7-year-old Arklow, who finished fourth in last year’s race. Owned by Donegal Racing, Joseph Bulger, and the Estate of Peter Coneway, Arklow comes into this year’s renewal off a win in the Louisville Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs on May 15. Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables, and Michael J. Caruso’s Tribhuvan (FR), trained by Chad Brown, has made two starts this year at Belmont Park. He won the Fort Marcy Stakes (G2) on May 1, and finished second in the Resorts World Casino Manhattan Stakes (G1) on June 5.

 

ABOUT NBC SPORTS GROUP

NBC Sports Group serves sports fans 24/7 with premier live events, insightful studio shows, and compelling original programming. The sports media company consists of NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, NBCSN, Golf Channel, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, NBC Sports Regional Networks, NBC Sports Radio and NBC Sports Digital, which includes NBCSports.com, NBCOlympics.com, GolfChannel.com, the digital assets of the NBC Sports Regional Networks, Rotoworld, the NBC Sports Talk franchise, multiple apps, and two transactional sports businesses, GolfNow and SportsEngine. NBC Sports Group possesses an unparalleled collection of television rights agreements, partnering with some of the most prestigious sports properties in the world: The International Olympic Committee and United States Olympic Committee, the NFL, NHL, NASCAR, INDYCAR, PGA TOUR, The R&A, PGA of America, Churchill Downs, Premier League, Tour de France, French Open, and many more.

ABOUT AMERICA’S BEST RACING

America’s Best Racing is a multimedia fan development and awareness-building platform, initiated by The Jockey Club, designed to increase the profile and visibility of North America’s best Thoroughbred racing events with a primary focus on the sport’s lifestyle and competition. You can follow America’s Best Racing at AmericasBestRacing.net as well as on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat.

ABOUT BREEDERS’ CUP

The Breeders’ Cup administers the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred horse racing’s year-end Championships, as well as the Breeders’ Cup Challenge qualifying series, which provides automatic starting positions into the Championships races. The Breeders’ Cup is also a founding member of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition, an organization composed of industry leaders committed to advancing safety measures in Thoroughbred racing and improving the well-being of equine and human athletes.

The 2021 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 Championship races, is scheduled to be held on November 5-6 at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California. The event will be televised live by the NBC Sports Group. Breeders’ Cup press releases appear on the Breeders’ Cup website, breederscup.com. You can also follow the Breeders’ Cup on social media.

BREEDERS’ CUP CHALLENGE SERIES “WIN AND YOU’RE IN” RACING RETURNS THIS SATURDAY AT 5 P.M. ET ON NBC & SUNDAY AT 5 P.M. ET ON NBCSN LIVE FROM BELMONT PARK

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STAMFORD, Conn. – July 1, 2021 – The “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and Your In – presented by America’s Best Racing” returns to Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., with two programs of top flight Thoroughbred racing this weekend. On Saturday, July 3, at 5 p.m. ET, NBC will broadcast live the $400,000 Suburban (G2), led by Dubai World Cup winner Mystic Guide, with the race winner earning an automatic berth into the $6 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). On Sunday, July 4, at 5 p.m. ET, multiple graded-stakes winning sprinter Firenze Fire headlines the $250,000 John A. Nerud Stakes (G2), which offers a “Win and You’re In” starting position into the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1).

The two weekend programs mark the second and third telecasts this year in the “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In – presented by America’s Best Racing” on NBC and NBCSN from some of North America’s most iconic racetracks. The series leads to the 38th Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California, to be held  Nov. 5-6 on NBC and NBCSN. The complete series TV schedule can be accessed here.

NBC Sports’ coverage of both programs will feature commentary and discussion led by host Ahmed Fareed and analysts Randy Moss and Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey, who won 15 Breeders’ Cup races, including five victories in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), from NBC Sports Group’s International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn. Reporters Britney Eurton and Matt Bernier will be on-site at Belmont Park.

In the 1 ¼-mile Suburban, Godolphin’s Mystic Guide, trained by Mike Stidham and ridden by Luis Saez, has won both his starts this year. A 4-year-old son of 2004 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Ghostzapper, Mystic Guide captured the Razorback Handicap (G3) at Oaklawn Park in March and then took the $12 million Dubai World Cup at Meydan in the United Arab Emirates on March 27, which was his most recent start.

Among the challengers facing Mystic Guide is the Todd-Pletcher trained 4-year-old Happy Saver, who is undefeated in five starts. A son of 2010 Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, Happy Saver, ridden by Irad Oritz Jr., has won three races at Belmont, including last year’s 1 ¼-mile Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1). Pletcher also has entered Repole Stable and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners’ 5-year-old Moretti, who finished second in last year’s Suburban. Moretti finished third in the Brooklyn Stakes (G3) on June 5 in his first start of the year. Flavien Prat will ride Moretti.

Owner and trainer Uriah St. Lewis is starting the 4-year-old Informative, who came from last in a 10-horse field to win the Salvator Mile (G3) at 79-1 on June 12 at Monmouth Park. Manny Franco has the mount on Informative.

Mr. Amore Stable’s 6-year-old Firenze Fire tops Sunday’s John A. Nerud Stakes at 7 furlongs. Trained by Kelly Breen, Firenze Fire has won 14 races in 33 starts, and nine of those victories were in graded stakes. A son of Poseiden’s Warrior, Firenze has two wins at Belmont this year, taking the 6-furlong Runhappy Stakes on May 8 and the 6 ½-furlong True North Stakes (G2) on June 4.

Red Oak Stable and Madaket Stables’ 5-year-old Mind Control is seeking his first win this year for new trainer Todd Pletcher. A seven-time winner, Mind Control finished second in the 7-furlong Carter Handicap (G1) at Aqueduct on April 3 and seventh in the 7-furlong Churchill Downs Stakes on May 1.

The 6-year-old American Power, owned by Sanford Goldfarb, Irwin Goldfarb and the Estate of Ira Davis, finished third in the True North. Trained by Rob Atras, American Power has won two of four starts this year, both at 7 furlongs, taking the Toboggan Stakes (G3) on Jan. 30 at Aqueduct and the Caixa Electronica, also at Aqueduct, on March 27.

NBC SPORTS GROUP AND HORSE RACING: NBC Sports Group is the exclusive home to the most important and prestigious events in horse racing, including the Triple Crown, the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Royal Ascot, and Pegasus World Cup Invitational Series. NBC has been the exclusive home of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes since 2001, and the Belmont Stakes since 2011, when NBC Sports Group reassembled the Triple Crown.

ABOUT AMERICA’S BEST RACING

America’s Best Racing is a multimedia fan development and awareness-building platform, initiated by The Jockey Club, designed to increase the profile and visibility of North America’s best Thoroughbred racing events with a primary focus on the sport’s lifestyle and competition. You can follow America’s Best Racing at AmericasBestRacing.net as well as on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat.

ABOUT BREEDERS’ CUP

The Breeders’ Cup administers the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred horse racing’s year-end Championships, as well as the Breeders’ Cup Challenge qualifying series, which provides automatic starting positions into the Championships races. The Breeders’ Cup is also a founding member of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition, an organization composed of industry leaders committed to advancing safety measures in Thoroughbred racing and improving the well-being of equine and human athletes.

The 2021 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 Championship races, is scheduled to be held on November 5-6 at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California. The event will be televised live by the NBC Sports Group. Breeders’ Cup press releases appear on the Breeders’ Cup website, breederscup.com. You can also follow the Breeders’ Cup on social media.

–NBC SPORTS–

BREEDERS’ CUP AND NBC SPORTS GROUP ANNOUNCE 2021 “BREEDERS’ CUP CHALLENGE SERIES: WIN AND YOU’RE IN” TELEVISION SCHEDULE

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TVG.com Haskell, Jockey Club Gold Cup, Ricoh Woodbine Mile and Juddmonte Spinster Among More Than 15 Televised Races from June Through October

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 21, 2021) – The Breeders’ Cup and NBC Sports today announced the 2021 “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In – presented by America’s Best Racing” television schedule, consisting of 12 live programs featuring more than 20 automatic qualifying races and other major stakes from six of the nation’s premier racetracks on the road to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

Now in its eighth year on NBC Sports, the series showcases the top horses as they vie for a coveted automatic berth, and free entry, into the 2021 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, scheduled for Nov. 5-6 at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, Calif. The World Championships will be televised live on NBC and NBCSN.

Breeders’ Cup is providing an “Add to Calendar” feature that allows fans to easily add the complete Breeders’ Cup Challenge and World Championships NBC Sports television schedule to their calendar. The calendar will automatically provide broadcast reminders including tune-in information. Fans can click here for more information and to add to their calendar now.

Television coverage of the 2021 Challenge Series begins on NBC at 5:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 5 during NBC Sports’ Belmont Stakes Day programming. The first show will feature the Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap (G1) and the Ogden Phipps (G1) live from Belmont Park, for automatic berths into the $1 million Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) and the $2 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1), respectively.

The televised series continues on NBC July 3 at 5:00 p.m. ET with the Suburban Stakes (G2), which will award the winner an automatic berth into the $6 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). The following day, July 4, a “Win and You’re In” for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) will be on the line in the John A. Nerud Stakes (G2), with coverage starting at 5:00 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Three-year-olds competing for an automatic berth into the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) will be in the spotlight in the TVG.com Haskell Stakes (G1) from Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., on July 17 on NBC. Last year, Authentic earned a free berth into the Classic when he won the Haskell, went on to win the Classic in November at Keeneland and was voted Horse of the Year. In 2015, Triple Crown winner American Pharoah earned an automatic berth into the Classic when he won the Haskell and later closed out his Horse of the Year campaign by winning the Classic.

Two Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series races which had previously been held at Belmont Park ― The Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) and The Flower Bowl (G1) ― will run this year at historic Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on Sept. 4, and will be shown live on NBCSN. The Jockey Club Gold Cup is a “Win and You’re In” for the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), while the Flower Bowl will provide the winner a free starting position into the $2 million Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1).

One week later, Kentucky Downs in Franklin, Ky., is the scene for two “Win and You’re In” qualifiers on NBCSN headlined by a new race to the Challenge Series, the Calumet Kentucky Cup (G2), with a free starting position into the $4 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1). The second televised race at Kentucky Downs will be the Turf Sprint (G3), which gives the winner a free entry into the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1).

Woodbine Racecourse outside Toronto will be the site of three Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series races on turf over the Sept. 18-19 weekend on NBCSN. On Sept. 18, Woodbine will host the Ricoh Woodbine Mile (G1), which will guarantee the winner a “Win and You’re In” spot into the $2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1). On Sept. 19, 2-year-olds take center stage in the Summer Stakes (G1) for an automatic berth into the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1), and Natalma Stakes (G1) for a free entry in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1).

Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., will host four programs from Oct. 2-6 to close out the 2021 “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In – presented by America’s Best Racing” schedule. On Friday, Oct. 2 on NBCSN, there will be two races televised: the Darley Alcibiades (G1) for 2-year-old fillies, for a “Win and You’re In” slot into the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), and the Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes (G2), with the winner securing an automatic berth into the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1).

The centerpiece of the Saturday, Oct. 3, program at Keeneland on CNBC will be the Keeneland Turf Mile (G1), which is a “Win and You’re In” for the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1). Juvenile males also will be vying for a free berth into the $2 million TVG Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) in the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (G1).

On Sunday, Oct. 4, NBCSN will present a 90-minute program featuring the Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (G1) and the Bourbon Stakes (G2). The Spinster will offer an automatic starting position in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) and the Bourbon Stakes will give the winner a free spot into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1). The Oct. 4 program will also feature highlights of Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series races from ParisLongchamp in France, headlined by the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1).

“The Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In – presented by America’s Best Racing” concludes on Wednesday, Oct. 6, with the Jessamine Stakes (G2) at Keeneland for a free qualifying spot into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1).

“The Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In – presented by America’s Best Racing continues to be an excellent way for fans to stay connected to the top horses and races throughout the summer and fall leading up to the World Championships,” said Breeders’ Cup President and CEO Drew Fleming. “We thank NBC Sports for their continued commitment to our sport and are grateful for the broadcasting excellence they deliver in their domestic and international Thoroughbred racing coverage. We also thank our Challenge Series partner racetracks around the world along with America’s Best Racing for their presenting sponsorship and promotion of the series.”

“We are excited to showcase the world’s top horses in the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series from Belmont Stakes Day throughout the summer and all the way to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships in November,” said Justin Byczek, NBC Sports Senior Vice President of Programming and Rights Management.

The complete Challenge Series television schedule can be viewed here.

The Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series coverage on NBC and NBCSN will be live streamed on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.

Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In presented by America’s Best Racing
Schedule subject to change
Date Network Time (ET) Event Track Challenge Division
Saturday, June 5 NBC 5:00 – 7:15 PM Runhappy Metropolitan H. Belmont Park  Big Ass Fans Dirt Mile
Saturday, July 3 NBC 5:00 – 6:00 PM The Suburban Belmont Park Longines Classic
Sunday, July 4 NBCSN 5:00 – 6:00 PM John A. Nerud S. Belmont Park Sprint
Saturday, July 17 NBC 5:00 – 6:00 PM TVG.com Haskell Stakes Monmouth Park Longines Classic
Saturday, Sept. 4 NBCSN 6:00 – 7:00 PM Jockey Club Gold Cup Saratoga Longines Classic
Flower Bowl Maker’s Mark Filly & Mare Turf
Saturday, Sept. 11 NBCSN 5:00 – 6:00 PM Turf Sprint Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint
 Calumet Kentucky Cup Longines Turf
Saturday, Sept. 18 NBCSN 5:30- 6:30 PM Woodbine Mile Woodbine  FanDuel Mile
Sunday, Sept. 19 NBCSN 4:30 – 6:00 PM Summer S. Woodbine Juvenile Turf
Natalma S. Juvenile Fillies Turf
Friday, Oct. 1 NBCSN 5:00 – 6:00 PM Alcibiades S. Keeneland Race Course Juvenile Fillies
Phoenix S. Sprint
Saturday, Oct. 2 CNBC 4:00 – 6:00 PM Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity Keeneland Race Course TVG Juvenile
Keeneland Turf Mile FanDuel Mile
Sunday, Oct. 3 NBCSN 4:30 – 6:00 PM Bourbon S. Keeneland Race Course Juvenile Turf
Juddmonte Spinster S. Longines Distaff
Highlights: Qatar Prix de l’Arc Triomphe Day ParisLongchamp Various
Wednesday, Oct. 6 NBCSN 4:00 – 5:00 PM Jessamine S. Keeneland Race Course Juvenile Fillies Turf

ABOUT NBC SPORTS GROUP

NBC Sports Group serves sports fans 24/7 with premier live events, insightful studio shows, and compelling original programming. The sports media company consists of NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, NBCSN, Golf Channel, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, NBC Sports Regional Networks, NBC Sports Radio and NBC Sports Digital, which includes NBCSports.com, NBCOlympics.com, GolfChannel.com, the digital assets of the NBC Sports Regional Networks, Rotoworld, the NBC Sports Talk franchise, multiple apps, and two transactional sports businesses, GolfNow and SportsEngine. NBC Sports Group possesses an unparalleled collection of television rights agreements, partnering with some of the most prestigious sports properties in the world: The International Olympic Committee and United States Olympic Committee, the NFL, NHL, NASCAR, INDYCAR, PGA TOUR, The R&A, PGA of America, Churchill Downs, Premier League, Tour de France, French Open, and many more.

ABOUT AMERICA’S BEST RACING

America’s Best Racing is a multimedia fan development and awareness-building platform, initiated by The Jockey Club, designed to increase the profile and visibility of North America’s best Thoroughbred racing events with a primary focus on the sport’s lifestyle and competition. You can follow America’s Best Racing at AmericasBestRacing.net as well as on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat.

ABOUT BREEDERS’ CUP

The Breeders’ Cup administers the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred horse racing’s year-end Championships, as well as the Breeders’ Cup Challenge qualifying series, which provides automatic starting positions into the Championships races. The Breeders’ Cup is also a founding member of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition, an organization composed of industry leaders committed to advancing safety measures in Thoroughbred racing and improving the well-being of equine and human athletes.

The 2021 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 Championship races, is scheduled to be held on November 5-6 at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California. The event will be televised live by the NBC Sports Group. Breeders’ Cup press releases appear on the Breeders’ Cup website, breederscup.com. You can also follow the Breeders’ Cup on social media.

TRANSCRIPT – NBC SPORTS BIG EVENT WEEKEND MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL

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Thursday, November 5, 2020

Pete Bevacqua

Mike Tirico

Cris Collinsworth

Tony Dungy

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Rebecca Lowe

Eddie Olczyk

THE MODERATOR: Greetings, everyone and welcome to NBC Sports’ big event weekend media conference call. This is a special weekend for NBC Sports with numerous high profile events across both days.

Saturday we have the Breeders’ Cup Classic beginning at 2:30 p.m. Eastern on NBC. Saturday night, No. 1 Clemson at No. 4 Notre Dame. It’s the first time the No. 1 team in the country has been to Notre Dame Stadium in 15 years. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. Eastern on NBC.

On Sunday morning it’s the last two Premier League champions facing off, Manchester City and Liverpool. Coverage is exclusively streaming on Peacock Premium at 11:30 a.m. Eastern.

On Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. Eastern on NBC, the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion will be crowned, one of four drivers.

And the big event weekend concludes with Sunday Night Football, the NFL’s top two all-time passers, Tom Brady and Drew Brees, Buccaneers hosting Saints. It begins with Football Night in America at 7 p.m.

And to talk about this weekend is a truly impressive roster of NBC Sports hosts and analysts. We have Mike Tirico, who handles play-by-play for Notre Dame football and is our host for Football Night in America; Cris Collinsworth, our Sunday Night Football analyst; Tony Dungy, our analyst for both Notre Dame football and Football Night in America; Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR analyst; Rebecca Lowe, host of our Premier League coverage; and Eddie Olczyk, our Pucks and Ponies analyst who this week will be handicapping the Breeders’ Cup.

We’ll also be joined by NBC Sports Group Chairman Pete Bevacqua. A quick reminder that a transcript of this call will be available in a few hours on nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com or you can contact one of us in the NBC Sports Group communications department.

But let’s begin the call now with opening remarks from NBC Sports Group Chairman Pete Bevacqua.

PETE BEVACQUA: Thanks, I appreciate the introduction. I want to also thank everybody for being on the call today. Certainly going through an interesting, unique, and challenging time in our country’s history when you think about the pandemic. Obviously, with our election on Tuesday night and still kind of going into yesterday and today and maybe somewhat of the foreseeable future. We know you’re very busy, but just wanted to thank you for taking the time to be with us.

And thankfully we have sports. You think about the passion level of sports around the country over the course of this pandemic, how they really have served maybe more than ever as just a great form of escapism to bring some joy into people’s lives around the country and that’s really what motivates us and makes this, what we do each and every day, so up lifting. And I’ve been so really remarkably pleased with the effort of our team across the board during these really, really challenging times. When you think about the great work of Sam Flood, Molly Solomon, Fred Gaudelli, Rob Hyland, how we have kept the team united, how we’ve brought live sports back to the viewing public, and I think in such a remarkable way, and doing all of that while never losing site of the fact that we have to keep our people safe. We’re going into these sporting events certainly in a different atmosphere than anyone has ever expected or certainly has ever been trained to. And it’s really been a remarkable few months.

And this weekend is a perfect example. You think about what we have in store for us with the Breeders’ Cup on Saturday, we have this unbelievable matchup on Saturday night, which is obviously near and dear to my heart, with Clemson coming into Notre Dame. And you think back to these historic matchups when the No. 1 team in the country came and visited Notre Dame; you think of Miami in ’88, the great Charlie Ward FSU team in ’93; you think of the Bush Push game of 15 years or so ago when USC came into Notre Dame. And I think this has the ability to be another one of these great iconic Notre Dame football games.

And then we mentioned the Premier League, which has been so unbelievably successful for us, when you think about Manchester City and Liverpool, we’re going to have that on Peacock. And we have been so unbelievably pleased with the success of Peacock. We have seen firsthand the power of sports on Peacock and the impact the Premier League has had on the success of Peacock.

And then last but certainly not least, when you talk about an unbelievable sports weekend, we have this great matchup between Drew Brees and Tom Brady and New Orleans at Tampa in Tampa, which is a home game for Cris Collinsworth. So I know he’s excited about that.

But we’re grateful that live sports are back, maybe more furiously and feverishly than ever. I think it’s been a great moment for NBC Sports and should be a wonderful weekend. And again, wanted to thank all of you for being here with us and wanted to turn it over to a colleague and a dear friend, Mike Tirico. So Mike, take it away.

MIKE TIRICO: Hi, everyone. I’m in South Bend, Indiana. Just got here, getting set for the game. I haven’t been here for a three-day lead up for a game in quite some time.

But in any case, thank you, Pete. Let me pass the ball around to my friends and coworkers who most of whom I get to work with or see on a regular basis, so it’s a nice party-line way to catch up with everyone.

I’ll start with Tony Dungy as we get set for this game on Saturday with Clemson and Notre Dame. Tony, we have had a couple of weeks to get a look at Clemson, and then last week without Trevor Lawrence, who many think is the No. 1 player to be ready for the NFL draft next year, they are very fortunate to have an incredibly talented back up, DJ Uiagalelei, who is a true freshmen in his second start, first on the road. Do you think he can come into South Bend and beat the Irish?

TONY DUNGY: Well, he certainly can. If they don’t, it certainly won’t be his fault. We watched him in his first start be 18 points down and bring his team back. Talking to all the Clemson players yesterday and coaches, they said there was no fear, no worry on the sideline. He was the most relaxed guy in the stadium, and he played lights out. Only nine incomplete passes the whole day and just played great.

So it’s going to be a fantastic game. We obviously wish we could see Trevor Lawrence, but DJ Uiagalelei will put on a great performance. He’ll be ready to go. And he’s got a big challenge with that Notre Dame defense, but it should be very, very exciting.

MIKE TIRICO: Yeah, Notre Dame’s built up all year for this game. They have even spoken about it the last couple of weeks, which is atypical for coaches, but Brian Kelly’s embraced that, looking ahead and what the players talk about, that elephant in the room, that’s the matchup with No. 1 Clemson. And Pete hit it perfectly earlier. This is such a rare treat to have No. 1 at a stadium that’s been around for 91 years and has all the history that Notre Dame has. So we’re looking forward to that Saturday night.

And then Sunday night, it’s going to be a tremendous matchup with the two quarterbacks who have thrown for the most touchdown passes and the most yards in the history of the National Football League, Tom Brady and Drew Brees with Tampa and New Orleans. And Cris, obviously, there’s a lot beyond those guys, and their wide receiving corps are adjusting and getting right, finally, but here we are at the midway point of the season. What do you think of this as a measuring stick of these two teams as they play the second time around?

CRIS COLLINSWORTH: New Orleans got after them pretty good the first time. But that team that they played, Tom Brady’s team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is not the Tom Brady team their going to see coming back in. It’s remarkable to see now how many more plays that resemble or directly copy the New England Patriots that are in this offense at this time. I mean, this thing now is really starting to take shape around what Tom Brady likes to do, what his feel is for this offense. But you go, you know, on the other side of the ball, and certainly what Drew Brees has been able to put together with this win streak, what Alvin Kamara has been this season. Arguably the best player in the league. I think he’s the best running back in football right now.

And they have done it all. Emmanuel Sanders has been out. He’s been on the COVID list. Michael Thomas basically has been a non-factor during the course of this season. But you begin to see that both of these teams are starting to get right. Both of these teams are starting to get that offense geared in exactly the way that they want it, and their guys back healthy. Neither of the receiving units have really been close to being a hundred percent. And as we come screaming down the stretch here in the National Football League, these are two teams that are going to be right there sitting at the top and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if one of them ends up in the Super Bowl.

MIKE TIRICO: And wouldn’t be surprised if this isn’t an NFC Championship preview with the way these two teams are. And one of them, whoever doesn’t win the division, is going to slide down to a five seed and their road becomes very difficult. So these head-to-heads, especially if it’s a sweep for New Orleans, would be really, really huge to look at. So that’s Sunday night.

Then the other type of football, the Premier League, Pete mentioned earlier how they have continued to go through the difficulties that England has been dealing with COVID-19 as well. Liverpool and Manchester City — and every Sunday when I get to the studio for football night, I always love to pop into Studio 3 and talk five minutes of Premier League with Rebecca and the Robbies or Tim Howard, who has been a great addition to our team this year — and my love of soccer is only heightened when I get a chance to talk about it.

Rebecca, this match with Liverpool and City really brings two teams that had a remarkable 2018-2019 season that Man City won on their great run, and then Liverpool had the extraordinary year last year.

But as we hit their meeting this year, first time in a fixture, it’s a little bit different because Liverpool has still delivered, yet City hasn’t been what we have come accustomed to the last year or so.

REBECCA LOWE: You’re absolutely right. Pep Guardiola doesn’t normally stay at clubs longer than three years and he’s been a lot longer than that at Manchester City and he’s in the final year of his contract and he just feels like a different manager and therefore, when you look at the Premier League table, Manchester City, this great powerhouse of English football are sitting in 10th position going into this game. Now it is at home. It is against Liverpool, who over the years they have developed this huge rivalry just based on success. I mean, if you rewind the clock 10 years or even further, this has never been a rivalry. But this is all purely based on recent modern day success.

Liverpool, as you say, they have kept going. They haven’t had it all their own way. They have lost what most people see as the best defender in world football, Virgil van Dijk, to a knee ligament injury, out for probably the rest of the season. They have some problems in their back line because of that plus other injuries. So they’re having to bring in some youngsters, some young kids who have never played in the Premier League before, which that’s hard enough going into a Bournemouth or a Bryson or a Bermy, but to go into the Champions back line at the age of 19, like somebody like Rhys Williams, who may well play this weekend, is a huge amount to ask.

So Liverpool are not perfect. They do have a new striker up front that they got in the summer Diogo Jota, for around 45 million dollars, who has very much hit the ground running with goal after goal, hat trick after hat trick. He’ll probably play against Manchester City.

And as I say, it is at Manchester City, so although there are no fans, there is still a slight mental home advantage, but it’s only slight. So as difficult as this always is to call, Manchester City at home should still feel like their favorites, but the form and the table, Mike, as you say, tells you otherwise. But when these two get together, when you have Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, arguably, probably not even arguably, the two best managers in football right now anywhere on the globe, it is must-watch television.

MIKE TIRICO: And it feels like the rest of the Premier League is rooting for City to win at home because Liverpool seems always difficult to beat. So if they have a couple of losses on their card in the first eight matches, that would change the feel of the whole season. I am super excited for that on Peacock.

And Sunday, the NASCAR season comes to an end, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. is on the line, as you know.

Junior man, when I saw the season play out and it was at Indy, you thought there was no way Kevin Harvick wouldn’t be part of the final four with nine wins, right? But he’s not. The final four is Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano, a couple guys who won the Cup Series title, and then Chase Elliott. His youth, his excitement winning last week, his popularity just like his dad when he drove has a lot of folks thinking Chase Elliott has a chance. What are you looking for as we get down to the Final Four in Phoenix this weekend?

DALE EARNHARDT JR.: I think that Chase Elliott’s definitely not — I wouldn’t call him a dark horse — we have just never seen Chase in this situation to win a championship, but yet here he is and he’s coming off of a win at Martinsville. That was kind of a dominant win. So he’s going to have a real good shot at winning his first championship on Sunday and that Elliott name has a ton of history in our sport, so there will be a lot of folks I think pulling for Chase.

But honestly, the four drivers, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, I don’t think anybody in terms of speed or performance throughout the year has a clear edge. I tend to look at the mentality of that driver, his attitude, how he’s handled stressful situations like this, high pressure situations like this in the past, and the guy that stands out to me when you go that route is Joey Logano. He does everything he needs to do to win and he doesn’t apologize for it. And he can get aggressive, physical on the racetrack, and he doesn’t seem to crumble under pressure. I think that I have to kind of put him as the favorite for me, just slightly over Chase Elliott. I know Denny Hamlin has had an amazing season, but his performance in the playoffs has been just a little bit off. He’s not concerned, but it’s hard for me in my position not to be concerned about that. And Brad Keselowski, his whole motto this playoffs is, Why not us? I hear you. I hear you, Brad. But the speed for that team just seems to be a little bit below Joey Logano, his teammate.

But it will be interesting — it’s the first time that we’re going to go to Phoenix to crown our champion. We have traditionally done this at Homestead in Florida. This is a pretty wild racetrack, the restarts, they get four, five, six-wide down in turn one and two on these restarts. If we have late restarts in this race, which I expect we will, it’s going to be pretty dramatic. You won’t want to miss it.

MIKE TIRICO: NASCAR used to be it all comes down to Florida. Now it all comes down to Arizona, and maybe that applies elsewhere this week. Edzo, my man, I know you got some bets to make because you got racing going, two days worth at Keeneland. The Breeders’ Cup is so great every year, brings the best horses in the world together to wrap up the season, and to have it in the space in our country where the horse industry, really all the horses almost get their start in Keeneland, amazing breeding area for horses from that beautiful farm country. And Keeneland is just a special place to host the Breeders’ Cup and it’s headlined on Saturday afternoon by the Classic, Eddie. So I know the whole card is good, but just give us a little focus on what you’re looking for with the variety of horses we have who are pointing to the Classic, which could well decide Horse of the Year this year.

EDDIE OLCZYK: Great to be with everybody and we’re going to miss you here Mike, but we’re going to man the ship down here in Lexington. Yeah, it’s incredible. I mean, our relationship with horse racing, and particularly the Breeders’ Cup, is second to none. We have a lot of personnel on site and just looking forward to incredible racing. 14 Breeders’ Cup races, 31 million dollars on the line. As you mentioned, Mike, all headed to the Breeders’ Cup Classic, 6 million on the line. And a little tie in with Sunday Night Football. The late Tom Benson and his wife Gayle are into horse racing very much. They have Tom’s d’Etat, the No. 4 horse in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. It might be a daily double when it comes to pigskins and horses for the New Orleans Saints and winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic. So keep an eye on Tom’s d’Etat owned by the Benson family. It is all about Bob Baffert, as you know, Mike, with having three horses in this race out of the 10. He has the No. 8 horse, Improbable; the No. 9 horse, Authentic, who won this year’s Kentucky Derby ran on the first Saturday of September; and he also has Maximum Security changed to his barn, who crossed the line first in last year’s Kentucky Derby and was disqualified, and rightfully so, to 17th. He is now in his barn.

So he has three horses that will be, I would say, probably two of the top-3 favorites coming into the Breeders’ Cup Classic. It should be a one heck of a weekend, lots of drama, horses from all over the world. And considering we are living in a worldwide pandemic, to have these horses come in, being quarantined, their handlers being here, I think it speaks volumes to what people think about this great game and this great sport, and just truly proud to be a part of it this weekend. And we got a betting show coming up on NBCSN here in about an hour and a half. We have coverage tomorrow on Future Stars Friday at 2 o’clock. We’ll have five Breeders’ Cup races, and then we’ll be on both networks, NBCSN at noon on Saturday and then switch over to the big network at 2 Eastern and be the appetizer for Clemson and Notre Dame on Saturday night.

MIKE TIRICO: We’ll be in the booth in South Bend early watching. I’m glad you mentioned that too because I think for all of us, and I obviously haven’t been to England and the Premier League, but you’ve seen what happened there, but in all these other sports just the sacrifice, obviously our crew, our team, we are so appreciative of that, but also the athletes, the coaches, the people who run all of these sports in general, to have, as you say, during a worldwide pandemic, all these championship events still going on and to have them all fall on one weekend, I think it’s a great opportunity to step back as a lot of us are doing, from 30,000 feet, and taking stock of what we have and what we are appreciative of in our country and our lives.

To have all these champions in sports; Notre Dame, Clemson, Brady and Brees, and the last couple of championships of the Premier League and the championship on the line with NASCAR and a couple of drivers who have won the Cup title, and as we’ve said, the Breeders’ Cup Classic with Bob Baffert and the other horses involved, what a great championship weekend this is.

Pete, understanding that you have a lot of people at NBC that you would be coordinating this with, but from your understanding, how will NBC navigate having these high profile sporting events with the prospect of significant breaking political news happening during one of these events?

PETE BEVACQUA: We have talked about that pretty consistently kind of in the lead-up to the election, obviously through Tuesday and then thinking about this weekend and what may or may not happen this weekend. I was actually on a big back-and-forth over the course of last night into this morning with Sam Flood and Fred Gaudelli talking about what changes we may need to make during halftime of Sunday Night Football. Obviously major breaking national news is always of critical importance and we will break in accordingly. The good news and the added benefit we have and maybe a bit of what’s advantageous to us compared to some others who are invested in sports as much as we are is we have MSNBC and CNBC and now we have a 24-hour news portal through Peacock that’s available to, as you heard maybe in our earnings call, over 22 million people, so we’re well covered in that regard. We’ll balance it. A lot of it, we have a lot of experience in terms of people handling those decisions, we’ll break away as needed, we’ll try to minimize any interruptions of these great sporting events, but it’s always just a bit of a balancing act and that very well may occur at some point over the course of this weekend. So timely question for sure.

Pete, with sports returning over the past four or five months what has been your impression of the ratings so far? Are they about where you thought they would be for all sports or slightly down due to the pandemic and just trying to get your views on NFL at mid season with how the Sunday Night Football ratings have performed?

PETE BEVACQUA: It’s all relatively speaking. Sports have continued to perform so really unbelievably well and you think about the power of the NFL and Sunday Night Football. And where we have been the No. 1 show in primetime television for nine years in a row and hopefully we’ll hit the decade mark, we have every expectation that we will this year. I think when you think about sports, you go back to the pandemic and I think back to when I was at the Players Championship in March, left there on a Wednesday and by Friday, the entire sports world had come to a grinding halt and we, like everyone else, were scrambling to put up meaningful content and to search our archives to see what could be of interest and we had the great cooperation of the leagues in doing so. But then when live sports came back, really led by NASCAR and the PGA TOUR, we did what we do best, which is bring live sports to the viewing public at a time when people maybe needed live sports as much or more than ever.

But then when everything started to come back, I think there was a bit of a sense where there were some live sports and so many live sports occurring during times when people weren’t used to it. So we saw that very firsthand knowledge and firsthand experience with the U.S. Open. The U.S. Open being contested always on Father’s Day now to move that into September, people weren’t used to having U.S. Open golf in September and now it was going up against college football and the NFL.

You had the NHL playoffs occurring at a time when they usually didn’t. And the NBA and Major League Baseball. And then with the advent of the college football season, which was stop and go and obviously with two of the Power 5 conferences waiting to start play.

So it’s been a difficult time, I think, for the industry to navigate, but certainly for the viewer to navigate, I think it’s been confusing. I think we’re starting to see a return to normalcy. I think the election was kind of a pivotal moment. We have seen the skyrocketing of cable news ratings. Now that the election is nearing an end I think people will go back to kind of normal consumption patterns. So we think we have weathered the storm, of course it’s been difficult at times, but we feel like we’re coming through this in a good place. We really believe with the NFL schedule, particularly with us having the flex schedule, should be unbelievably strong as we enter into the second half of the season. We think the game we have Sunday night that Cris talked about is going to be so powerful. So we feel good about where we are and now where we’re heading into what I believe will be the busiest two years in the history of NBC Sports. When you think about all of our property partners, Tokyo the summer games in 2021, followed so soon thereafter by Beijing in February and, oh by the way, what do we have right in between those is a Super Bowl in L.A.

So it’s an exciting time, ratings have been challenged at times, but the power of sports and the overall sports performance during this time period continues to be relatively strong.

I have a question for Tony and Cris about the game on Sunday night. Obviously it’s going to be the debut for Antonio Brown with Tom Brady. And Tom Brady seems to have put a lot of energy into his relationship with Antonio Brown last year and this year, inviting him to stay with him and really going to the mat for Antonio Brown. I’m just curious, why do you think Tom Brady is investing so much into Antonio Brown?

CRIS COLLINSWORTH: I’ll take the first shot at this one. He needs him. There’s no question as you look at this offense, the one missing element, if you think back to all the great New England teams, they always had the Danny Amendola’s, the Julian Edelman’s, that slot receiver who could just get open quickly one-on-one. So you really couldn’t blitz Tom Brady because of those one-on-one assignments in the middle of the field.

Now the Bucs have been trying a little bit of everybody in that slot position. They have had their main receivers — Chris Godwin can do a lot of stuff in there, Mike Evans now has become a little bit of the slot player, which I just wasn’t used to seeing him playing there, and you know what, he’s really good. He’s added almost a tight end kind of element inside there.

But when you get right down to it, if the Bucs are going to win a World Championship, which is what this is all about, right? You don’t bring Tom Brady to town unless you’re thinking Super Bowl. Antonio Brown in that slot, if he is what he used to be, which, who knows, but if he is what he used to be or anything remotely close to it, he could well be that missing piece. He could be the piece that puts them over the top in this offense and honestly, I can’t wait to watch it.

TONY DUNGY: I believe you’re right Cris, I think Tom Brady and the Bucs are thinking playoffs, they’re not thinking this week. They would love to win this game and get that one up on New Orleans, but this is for January when you’re playing those big games and it’s tight and you need that one play to win it, is this a guy who can add that one play at the right time? They’re going to have about eight weeks to get the timing down. We saw Tom and Gronk, we saw Tom and Mike Evans early on in the season kind of misfiring. There will be some misfires with Brown. I thought he was breaking this way, I thought he was going to come out at this angle. But they want that timing to be there in the playoffs.

I know you mentioned Manchester City being in 10th place in your open, but what has surprised you most so far of this season?

REBECCA LOWE: Well, quite a few things. Down to, I think, a lack of fans, it’s really taking the Premier League into a different direction. I think what surprised me most is the affect of no fans on both end of the field. So I have spoken a lot to Tim Howard about this and he assures me that when you’re a defender or a goalkeeper, as he was, the support in the stadium gets on your back and puts you under pressure in a more positive way than if you’re a striker.

So, if you’re a defender, you’re kept on your toes, you’re kept focused by the crowds, so maybe you can see field goals, maybe you’re on your game more.

If you’re a striker and there’s no crowd, if you miss three chances, you’re not getting the crowd on your back. Now you used to have abuse hauled at you if you’re a striker and you missed three in a row. Now you’re not getting that, which means that the confidence level of the strikers are staying high because nobody can bring them down and then they score on the fourth chance, which perhaps beforehand, that never happened. Which is why I think we’re getting so many goals. So I’m kind of surprised at that as a big picture sort of answer to your question, but other than that, I’ve also been surprised at the slow start that so many clubs are making who normally are atop by now. The Manchester City’s, the Manchester United’s, even Arsenal at times, Liverpool themselves they lost 7-2 against Aston Villa. So there are stories in this season’s Premier League — we know it’s a soap opera, we know it’s always been a soap opera and every single week we get served up amazing story lines. This season, with all the added things going on in and around the league, it’s just ratcheted up another notch. And the surprises are coming from the way the goals are being scored, who is scoring them and how many are being scored, which has led to such crazy results at times. But we’re all here for it.

Obviously with the challenge for the pandemic having going from no events, and then events with no fans, now we have some fans. From a production side how hard has it been to integrate the fan back into the show and is it any more difficult now than it was when you guys started the NASCAR up this season, with probably your first events with fans and how — if you want to just kind of take me through how to integrate those shots back in and everything else.

MIKE TIRICO: Before you get going on the NASCAR things, since I’ve been at a bunch of these I’ll jump in on the fan deal, because I’ve seen different parts of it. When I was at Indy for the NASCAR weekend along with IndyCar, there were no fans there. We have done shows from the studio like the Kentucky Derby with no fans. We have done a Saints game with Cris with about 500 people in the Superdome and Tony and have I experienced 10,500 fans at Notre Dame stadium.

So I think each one is different and unique and obviously the fan factor is missing, just from the ambience, from the juice in the building, the excitement. I’ve had more players, more athletes and more sports tell me we have to bring our own energy, we have to bring our own enthusiasm, because the crowd isn’t there. I don’t know if, other than Rebecca’s point about the goals in the Premier League, I don’t know if it’s affecting the performance of the athletes on the field nearly as much, but I do think the environment has impacted going into those games and getting started.

And the last point I’ll make, from a television standpoint, crossing over a bunch of these sports, I think it’s just all unique to the events. When there’s been a crowd at a college football game we have shown them. We have shown the 10,000 at Notre Dame, we have shown the band, the band being there actually added to the ambience, more than any of the other sports, made that missing group of fans seem a bit smaller than it otherwise would be.

I think it’s something we’re going to see for awhile, I think we have all adjusted to it from a production standpoint and I think when the fans do come back, I think you’ll see them celebrated and appreciated even more within parts of the broadcast. So that’s just from the overall perspective, but I know Junior’s been to a bunch of races where there have been fans in the stands at NASCAR and just curious what you’ve seen on that.

DALE EARNHARDT JR.: Yeah, we have had races where there were none and races where there were a select few fans. I think the drivers absolutely prefer having someone in the grandstands to celebrate what they’re seeing and even if it’s just a very small crowd of people to have some kind of reaction. It is the strangest thing for these drivers — and this has all come from drivers telling us this — they work for three and a half hours to win that race and they get out of the car to nothing. It is the strangest feeling for them to climb out of the car right there on the flag stand or the finish line, to get the checkered flag and wave it to nobody.

So while that was obviously all a necessity and we worked through that, when they did get the opportunity to get fans back on the track, no matter how small the number, just any kind of energy off of that crowd is really, really appreciated by the drivers.

Like Mike said, I think it’s really put into perspective just what the fans bring to the event. NASCAR’s always been very appreciative of the fans, but I don’t think beyond this, we could ever take them for granted because it’s completely obvious to all of us what they bring to the event with energy and passion and I believe it does affect the performance or it does affect the vibe and the energy and how the race is played out. And what the drivers are going to do, the decisions they’re going to make and the risks they’re willing to take.

When you have that crowd and those people, you can see them, coming off the corner, when you take the lead, and fans are on their feet cheering that moment, in that race, when that’s missing, it certainly has to affect the drivers quite a bit.

Tom Brady has been an incredible bright spot as far as TV ratings this year. As Pete said, some TV ratings have been down, but Brady’s Bucs have really performed great in terms of TV numbers. Why do you think that Tom and the Bucs are such a compelling TV story this year?

CRIS COLLINSWORTH: I think you know it’s coming to an end, you know. I think, you know, when I watch him play right now, that’s not what pops through my head. Like some people at the end of their career you go, oh, boy, okay, let’s, this may well be the last time I see this guy play.

We had a conversation last night and I, if you just took it off of the tape that I’ve watched in the last three or four weeks here, you would think he legitimately could go to 44, 45, 46 years old. If he chooses to retire at this point, it will not be based on what you see on tape from Tom Brady. And yet in your brain you’re going, here’s a guy that’s won six Super Bowls and he’s in his 40s, is this the last time I’m going to see him play? But I also think there’s that little bit of a thing and we all knew it was going to come — was it Belichick or was it Brady? Right? And you knew it was going to be a part of the discussion. No matter which way this thing went.

And to see Tom Brady go down there, lose opening day against the Saints, and just sort of the slow progression of what this offense is beginning to look like under Tom Brady, it’s starting to look a heck of a lot more like what he was doing in New England and now I think the excitement of what could be — like they asked me to pick top-5 and all that sort of stuff, but it’s not where they are today — but when you see the progression of what this team is doing and what it could be, at the end of the season and throw Antonio Brown into the mix, it’s pretty darn interesting at that point.

MIKE TIRICO: I’ll just make it simple here. Most scrutinized position in all of sports, greatest champion at that position, did it in one place for so long, still at a high level and going to do it somewhere else. It’s taking Bruce Springsteen away from the E Street Band and moving him to Maroon 5, like all of a sudden Maroon 5 is like, oh, my God, are you serious? You know, it’s just that you’re taking greatness and you’re moving it somewhere else and you want to see, is it him, was it where he was, and I want to see if he can go win another one somewhere else.

So the fact that everybody’s familiar with him, the fact that the opponents have kind of lined up pretty well given their schedule this year, everybody wants to go, oh, oh, it’s Brady playing against Rogers, yeah, I want to see that. Oh, it’s Brady going to play against the Raiders, which should have been a Sunday night game, now it’s Brady against the Giants, it’s Brees the second time, every time he plays — and by the way, in a couple weeks there’s a Mahomes game — there’s just something magical about him and you can’t say that about many athletes in any sport, especially the fact that he’s doing it here at the back end of his career, with something to prove, and that pick 199, sixth round chip still on his shoulder. I think that’s why it’s must see TV every time he gets on the field.

And no disrespect to Maroon 5 fans, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to knock them like that. (Laughing.)

CRIS COLLINSWORTH: Maroon 5?

MIKE TIRICO: I know. I don’t know why I picked that (laughing.)

NFL big picture, you look at the race this year — Saints, Bucs, Seahawks, Steelers, Chiefs, Ravens — they have all made a trade or signed a guy to help shore things up. Are you guys noticing maybe more teams kind of trying to keep up with the Jones’ near the trade deadline and make some of these splashy moves that these franchises maybe aren’t all that known for?

TONY DUNGY: Well I personally don’t think it’s keeping up with the Jones’, I think what you’re seeing is there aren’t complete teams. Everybody’s got holes. And everybody’s gone through seven, eight weeks and saying, I really want to make a playoff run, Tampa, I need another big play receiver. I need a pass rusher in Seattle. I need this, I need that. And it’s wide open.

So it’s not like, hey, we’re sitting here and we can’t catch some of these other teams, but I think teams realize what they need and they’re going out to get it to try to make this run. So that’s the one thing I’ve noticed, that every team you look at, no matter how well they’re playing you say, boy, there’s some holes here. They would be great except for this. And I think those teams are trying to fix that coming down the stretch.

CRIS COLLINSWORTH: I think you have a couple of things to talk about. One is you have older quarterbacks — Brady, Brees, Roethlisberger won’t appreciate me putting him in that category — but those kind of guys, and you realize that that window’s a little bit short, right? You don’t know how many more swings at the plate you get with that high-quality player at that position.

And then you also have, which we have never really had before, the other side of that spectrum, which are these young players on those rookie contracts lake a Lamar Jackson, where they don’t take up very much cap and you can afford to take a couple of big swings for a defensive player or make a trade or take on some salary that maybe you wouldn’t have been willing to do otherwise.

But I’ll say this, if you’re from Pittsburgh, that was two of the most impressive physical performances back-to-back that I’ve seen from what they did. Watching them in Tennessee, I was like these two teams — Tennessee and Pittsburgh — no way they’re coming back a week later and being able to play to that level. They were trying to kill each other out there.

And it ended up being true of Tennessee, they got beat in Cincinnati. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, went to Baltimore, a game every bit as physical, we know the rivalry, we know the intensity of that thing, and to go in there and pull off that one as well? To me that jumped Pittsburgh to another level in my mind. And I still don’t think that their offense is close to where they’re going to be at the end of this thing, I just don’t.

MIKE TIRICO: And I’ll just chime in quick that I think people are quicker to hit the reset button in the NFL. They’re quicker to cut losses, teams are also trying to add, as you say, once they see they’re in a window where they’re going to have a chance, I think they’re willing to add pieces. It’s almost, it’s not where baseball used to be at the trade deadline, but it’s much more of that mentality than ever. The fascinating part of that is with the salary cap that will go down next year, how is that impacting some of these decisions? And there’s not a lot of tolerance to sit there in the middle ground. If you’re not building around a young quarterback and a new head coach, chances are you’re selling off assets to be in position to draft in the top 10 to get one of those elite quarterbacks or young quarterbacks and start a rebuild quickly. Because we’re seeing Arizona, in a couple of years, has turned themselves into a 5-2 team with a chance to go 6-2 here against Miami this week. So I think that the reset button has come quicker for teams because the chance to get it turned around seems to be quicker than it was five or 10 years ago. So I think that’s part of the willingness on the backend where, I have assets, I don’t think I’m a playoff team, let me sell off this asset to see if I can get to the top of the draft line a little bit sooner.

CRIS COLLINSWORTH: And those quarterback assets in college football coming up in this year’s draft are pretty amazing.

MIKE TIRICO: Exactly.

TIZ THE LAW, MAXIMUM SECURITY & AUTHENTIC HEADLINE $6 MILLION BREEDERS’ CUP CLASSIC THIS SATURDAY, NOV. 7 AT 2:30 P.M. ET ON NBC

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NBC Sports Presents 10.5 Live Coverage Hours of the Richest Two Days in Horse Racing – The 2020 Breeders’ Cup World Championships from Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky

Coverage Begins Tomorrow, Thursday, Nov. 5 at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN with “Betting the Breeders’ Cup”; Live Race Coverage Begins Friday, Nov. 6 at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN & Saturday, Nov. 7 at Noon ET on NBCSN

Coverage Streamed Live on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app

STAMFORD, Conn. – Nov. 4, 2020 – NBC Sports this weekend presents 10.5 hours of live coverage of the 2020 Breeders’ Cup World Championships – the richest two days in horse racing – with $31 million in prize money at stake in 14 races. Highlighting the coverage is the $6 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic this Saturday, Nov. 7, live from Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

Highlighting Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Classic field:

    • Tiz the Law: 2020 Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes winner, trained by Barclay Tagg
    • Authentic: 2020 Kentucky Derby winner trained by Bob Baffert;
    • Maximum Security: Finished first in the 2019 Kentucky Derby before being disqualified; now trained by Baffert
    • Improbable: Trained by Baffert; won his past three Grade 1 races in 2020
    • Tom’s d’Etat: Owned by New Orleans Saints owner Gayle Benson and named after her late husband, Tom Benson; won 2019 Clark Stakes (Grade 1) and 2020 Stephen Foster Stakes (Grade 2). Benson’s Saints visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the following day, on Sunday Night Football, this Sunday, Nov. 8 at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC.

 

Live coverage of the 37th Breeders’ Cup World Championships begins tomorrow, Thursday, Nov. 5, at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN with handicapping special “Betting the Breeders’ Cup.” Live racing coverage begins Friday, Nov. 6, at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN, followed by 4.5 live hours on Saturday, Nov. 7, beginning at Noon ET on NBCSN and continuing on NBC at 2:30 p.m. ET.

“The Breeders’ Cup is perhaps the only sport in which the product on the field has actually benefitted from the pandemic,” said analyst Randy Moss. “Because many racetracks were closed in the spring, horses couldn’t run as often, and now they are fresher and healthier in November than ever before. Now if only there were fans in the seats.”

“At last, the Breeders’ Cup is upon us, and in this crazy year there is no more fitting venue to host it than Keeneland in all its fall splendor,” said analyst Jerry Bailey, a five-time Breeders’ Cup Classic winner. “The highlight will certainly be the Classic, with a very deep and competitive field headed by Bob Baffert, who brings a strong trio led by Kentucky Derby winner Authentic.”

2020 BREEDERS’ CUP TELEVISION SCHEDULE (ALL TIMES ET)
Date Time Event Network
Thurs., Nov. 5 2 p.m. Betting the Breeders’ Cup NBCSN
Fri., Nov. 6 2 p.m. Breeders’ Cup World Championships NBCSN
Sat., Nov. 6 Noon Breeders’ Cup World Championships NBCSN
Sun., Nov. 7 2:30 p.m. Breeders’ Cup Classic NBC

 

COMMENTATORS: Ahmed Fareed hosts coverage this weekend at Keeneland, joined by analyst and Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey, who owns 15 Breeders’ Cup wins; analyst Randy Moss; host/reporter Laffit Pincay III and reporter Nick Luck; analyst/handicapper Eddie Olczyk and handicapper Matt Bernier, and reporters Kenny Rice, Donna Brothers, and Britney Eurton. NBC’s Triple Crown race caller Larry Collmus will call all of the Breeders’ Cup races. Thursday afternoon’s “Betting the Breeders’ Cup” special features Pincay, Luck, Olczyk, Eurton, and Bernier.

Programming highlights include:

    • Unique perspectives from the track through multiple live jockey cams and jockey and trainer mics
    • Actress and model Kate Upton will be featured before the Classic on NBC
    • Athletes/Celebrities including Upton, Bo Derek, Joel McHale, Jack McBrayer, Brian Baumgartner, Chris Long, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, pitcher for the 2020 World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and Lexington, Kent. native Walker Buehler, and more make their Breeders’ Cup Classic picks
    • NBC Sports’ Tim Layden delivers an essay sharing his perspective on racing in 2020
    • Available now on NBCSports.com, Layden writes about Meg Levy, a breeder once saved by horses, who has now dedicated her life to saving them
    • A feature on 2020 Preakness winner Swiss Skydiver with owner Peter Callahan, who named Swiss Skydiver for his granddaughter after she went skydiving over the Swiss Alps
    • Access to 80+ cameras – nearly double last year
    • Fan Cam – Joining Fan parties from around the world
    • Most broadcast network coverage since 2005

 

NBC Sports’ coverage of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships is produced by Lindsay Schanzer and Billy Matthews, and directed by Kaare Numme. The coordinating producer of NBC’s horse racing coverage is Rob Hyland, who has been a part of the network’s horse racing coverage since 2001. Executive producer and president, production, NBC Sports and NBCSN is Sam Flood.

BREEDERS’ CUP COVERAGE ON COVERAGE ON NBCSPORTS.COM, NBC SPORTS APP & PEACOCK

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will stream live coverage to desktops, mobile, tablets, and connected TVs via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value to their subscription service, and making high-quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. The full HD-quality video stream will come directly from NBC’s broadcasts. NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app are available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Samsung Smart TVs, Xbox, and Chromecast. NBC Sports.com, the NBC Sports app, and Peacock – NBCUniversal’s streaming service – will provide a full race replay of the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

BREEDERS’ CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: The 2020 Breeders’ Cup World Championships consists of 14 races over two days at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky and features a total of $31 million in purses and awards. The culminating event of the Breeders’ Cup, the Breeders’ Cup Classic, is contested at 1 ¼ miles on the main track, for 3-year-olds and older. Breeders’ Cup Limited administers the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred racing’s year-end Championships.  The Breeders’ Cup also administers the Breeders’ Cup Challenge qualifying series, which provides automatic starting positions into the Championships races. Breeders’ Cup press releases appear on the Breeders’ Cup Web site, www.breederscup.com. You can also follow the Breeders’ Cup on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

 

NBC SPORTS GROUP AND HORSE RACING: NBC Sports Group is the exclusive home to the most important and prestigious events in horse racing, including the Triple Crown, the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Royal Ascot, and Pegasus World Cup Invitational Series. NBC has been the exclusive home of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes since 2001, and the Belmont Stakes since 2011, when NBC Sports Group reassembled the Triple Crown.

–NBC SPORTS–

TIRICO, COLLINSWORTH, DUNGY, EARNHARDT JR., LOWE & OLCZYK ON CONFERENCE CALL THIS THURS., NOV. 5 AT NOON ET, AHEAD OF NBC SPORTS’ “BIG EVENT WEEKEND”

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NBC Sports Group Chairman Pete Bevacqua Joins On-Air Team to Discuss Major Events Across NBC Sports Platforms this Weekend:

  • Breeders’ Cup Classic, Sat. Nov. 7 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC
  • #1 Clemson at #4 Notre Dame, Sat. Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC
  • Manchester City v. Liverpool, Sun. Nov. 8 at 11:30 a.m. ET on Peacock Premium
  • NASCAR Cup Series Championship, Sun. Nov. 8 at 3 p.m. ET on NBC
  • Tom Brady & Buccaneers Host Drew Brees & Saints, Sun. Nov. 8 at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC

Dial 334-777-6978 to Participate

STAMFORD, Conn. – Nov. 3, 2020 – Ahead of a huge weekend of high-profile sporting events across NBC Sports platforms, on-air commentators and analysts will preview the action in a special multi-sport media conference call this Thursday, Nov. 5, at Noon ET, and will be joined by NBC Sports Group Chairman Pete Bevacqua.

Media interested in participating should call 334-777-6978; Passcode: 6911436.

WHO:

Pete Bevacqua – Chairman, NBC Sports Group

Mike Tirico – Play-by-play, Notre Dame Football; Host, Football Night in America

Cris Collinsworth – Analyst, Sunday Night Football

Tony Dungy – Analyst, Notre Dame Football; Analyst, Football Night in America

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – Analyst, NASCAR

Rebecca Lowe – Host, Premier League

Eddie Olczyk – Handicapper, Horse Racing

WHAT:

Special conference call to discuss:

  • Breeders’ Cup Classic, Sat. Nov. 7 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC
  • #1 Clemson at #4 Notre Dame, Sat. Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC
  • Manchester City v. Liverpool, Sun. Nov. 8 at 11:30 a.m. ET on Peacock Premium
  • NASCAR Cup Series Championship, Sun. Nov. 8 at 3 p.m. ET on NBC
  • Tom Brady & Buccaneers Host Drew Brees & Saints, Sun. Nov. 8 at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC

 

WHEN: This Thursday, November 5 – at Noon ET

NUMBER: 334-777-6978

PASSCODE: 6911436

— NBC SPORTS —

SPECIAL MIDWEEK BREEDERS’ CUP CHALLENGE SERIES “WIN AND YOU’RE IN” RACE, TOMORROW, WED., OCT. 7 LIVE AT 4 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

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Live Coverage from Keeneland Features JPMorgan Chase Jessamine Stakes; Winner Earns Automatic Berth into Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf

Race Streamed Live on NBCSports.com & the NBC Sports app

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 6, 2020) – Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Michael Hernon and Gary Barber’s Spanish Loveaffair leads tomorrow’s JPMorgan Chase Jessamine (G2) for 2-year-old fillies on turf at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., live on NBCSN at 4 p.m. ET. The winner of the JPMorgan Chase Jessamine, which drew 11 starters, will earn an automatic berth into the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) through the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series.

Tomorrow’s telecast, produced in association with TVG, marks the 11th and final program in this year’s “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In – presented by America’s Best Racing” on NBC and NBCSN from some of North America’s most iconic racetracks. The series leads to the 37th Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland, scheduled for Nov. 6-7 and airing on NBC and NBCSN. The complete series TV schedule can be accessed here.

Reporting and commentary for the telecast will be provided from Keeneland by TVG’s Todd Schrupp, Matt Bernier, Caton Bredar, Gabby Gaudet, Britney Eurton and Caleb Keller. Simon Bray will be providing commentary from home.

Spanish Loveaffair, a bay daughter of 2014 Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) winner Karokontie (JPN), has won both her starts at Gulfstream Park. Spanish Loveaffair is trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, who won this race in 2016 with La Coronel. After breaking her maiden at 1 mile by an eye-popping 11 lengths on July 23, Spanish Loveaffair returned on Aug. 29 to win the 1-mile Sharp Susan Stakes by 1 ¼ lengths as the 1-2 favorite. Tyler Gaffalione has the mount on Spanish Loveaffair and will break from post position 10.

Among the challengers to Spanish Loveaffair is the Brad Cox-trained Aunt Pearl (IRE). In her lone start on Sept. 1 at Churchill Downs, Aunt Pearl, a bay daughter of Lope de Vega (IRE), set the early pace in a 1-mile race and drew off by 5 lengths. Owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Peter Deutsch, Michael Kisber and The Elkstone Group, Aunt Pearl will be ridden by Florent Geroux from post 7.

Another impressive debut winner is Don Alberto Stable’s Ingrassia. Trained by Chad Brown, who has won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf three times, Ingrassia overcame a bumpy start in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight at Saratoga on Aug. 19 and steadily worked her way to the front to win by a nose. A daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, Ingrassia will be ridden by Javier Castellano from post 5.

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen sends out Ben Rollins and Shelia Rollins’ Beautiful Star, a daughter of two-time Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner Tiznow, who was fifth in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies on Sept. 7. Adam Beschizza has the mount and will break from post position 4. Asmussen also will send out Kentucky Downs debut maiden winner Arm Candy for the partnership of Bradley Thoroughbreds, Tim Cambron, Anna Cambron and Kurz Equine Investments. Ricardo Santana Jr. will ride from post position 6.

ABOUT BREEDERS’ CUP

The Breeders’ Cup administers the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred horse racing’s year-end Championships, as well as the Breeders’ Cup Challenge qualifying series, which provides automatic starting positions into the Championships races. The Breeders’ Cup is also a founding member of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition, an organization composed of industry leaders committed to advancing safety measures in Thoroughbred racing and improving the well-being of equine and human athletes.

The 2020 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 Championship races, is scheduled to be held on November 6-7 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky and features a total of $31 million in purses and awards. The event will be televised live by the NBC Sports Group. Breeders’ Cup press releases appear on the Breeders’ Cup website, breederscup.com. You can also follow the Breeders’ Cup on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

NBC SPORTS GROUP AND HORSE RACING: NBC Sports Group is the exclusive home to the most important and prestigious events in horse racing, including the Triple Crown, the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Royal Ascot, and Pegasus World Cup Invitational Series. NBC has been the exclusive home of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes since 2001, and the Belmont Stakes since 2011, when NBC Sports Group reassembled the Triple Crown.

–NBC SPORTS–

NBC SPORTS’ LIVE BREEDERS’ CUP CHALLENGE SERIES COVERAGE CONTINUES THIS WEEKEND ON NBCSN

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Live NBCSN Coverage from Canada Features Ricoh Woodbine Mile Saturday at 5 p.m. ET and Natalma Stakes Sunday at 4 p.m. ET

2019 Preakness Stakes winner War of Will leads Woodbine Mile for automatic berth into FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile presented by PDJFLive Coverage

Will be Streamed on NBCSports.com & the NBC Sports app

TORONTO (Sept. 17, 2020) – Woodbine Racetrack in Canada will be the site of three Breeders’ Cup Challenge qualifying races on turf during NBCSN telecasts on Saturday and Sunday as a part of the “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In – presented by America’s Best Racing.”

This Saturday, Sept. 19, from 5-6 p.m. ET, the 2019 Preakness Stakes (G1) winner War of Will headlines the $1 million Ricoh Woodbine Mile (G1) for an automatic berth into the $2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile presented by PDJF (G1).

On Sunday, from 4-6 p.m. ET, 2-year-olds will be in action in the $250,000 Summer Stakes (G1), with the winner receiving an automatic berth into the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1), and 2-year-old fillies will battle in the $250,000 Natalma Stakes (G1) for a “Win and You’re In” starting position into the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1).

This weekend’s programs, produced in association with TVG, mark the seventh and eighth telecasts this year in the “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In – presented by America’s Best Racing” on NBC and NBCSN from some of North America’s most iconic racetracks. The series leads to the 37th Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., scheduled for Nov. 6-7 on NBC and NBCSN. The complete series TV schedule can be accessed here.

Reporting and commentary for both telecasts will be provided by Todd Schrupp, Simon Bray, Britney Eurton, Christina Blacker, Matt Bernier and Jason Portuondo.

Live coverage will also be streamed on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs.

The Woodbine Mile and the Breeders’ Cup have long been connected. Each of the last 10 Woodbine Mile winners went on to run in the Mile. Three of them won both races in the same year: Hall of Famer Wise Dan (2012-2013) and World Approval (2017). Three other winners at Woodbine were second and one finished third in the Mile, while Mile winners, Court Vision (2010) and Tepin (2016), completed the double in different years.

Gary Barber’s War of Will, the 2-1 morning line favorite, proved his ability on dirt as a 3-year-old last year and has shown his versatility since being moved to the turf this season by Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse.

War of Will, ridden by Rafael Hernandez, finished a close fifth in his seasonal debut in May in Santa Anita’s Shoemaker Mile (G1), also a “Win and You’re In” for the Mile, before winning Keeneland’s Maker’s Mark Mile (G1) on July 10. War of Will, who was also ninth in last year’s Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), is 5-for-16 lifetime, and a Woodbine Mile win would put him at or near the top of the North American turf division.

Among the top challengers in the race is Blue Heaven Farm’s Starship Jubilee, a former claimer, who will look to join Ventura and Tepin as only the third female to win the Woodbine Mile. The 7-year-old daughter of Indy Wind is a seven-time graded stakes winner for trainer Kevin Attard and is 6-for-13 over the Woodbine turf, which includes a win in last year’s E.P. Taylor (G1). Starship Jubilee, ridden by Justin Stein, is 18-for-37 lifetime and 4-for-5 this year, with a win over 2018 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) winner Sistercharlie (IRE) in Saratoga’s Ballston Spa (G2) in July. Starship Jubilee enters off a fourth-place finish in the Aug. 23 Diana Stakes (G1) at Saratoga.

Klaravich Stables’ Value Proposition comes north for trainer Chad Brown. A 4-year-old son of Dansili (GB), who is 3-for-5 lifetime, Value Proposition, ridden by Luis Contreras, will look to break through for his first career stakes win. In his last start, he finished third in the Poker Stakes (G3) at Belmont Park on July 4.

Casse also has entered Live Oak Plantation’s 5-year-old Florida-bred gelding March the Arch, ridden by Patrick Husbands, who comes into the race with a 2 ¼-length victory over Admiralty Pier in the Aug. 15 King Edward Stakes (G2) at Woodbine.

Hoolie Racing Stable and Bruce Lunsford’s Admiralty Pier, a 5-year-old gelded son of 2007 Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) winner English Channel, won the Tampa Bay Stakes (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs in February. A five-time winner for trainer Barbara Minshall, Admiralty Pier will be ridden by Steven Bahen.

Shifting to Sunday’s “Win and You’re In” 2-year-old qualifying races, Casse may have a top prospect in the 1-mile Summer Stakes with Gretzky the Great. Owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Barber, Gretzky the Great, an Ontario-bred son of Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) and Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Nyquist, won the 6 ½-furlong Soaring Free Stakes at Woodbine on Aug. 23. Mike Rutherford’s American Monarch, a son of 2015 Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner American Pharoah, and Peter Brant, Robert LaPenta and Woodford Racing’s Secret Potion, 1-2 finishers in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight at Saratoga on Aug. 8, also have been entered.

The 1-mile Natalma, figures to be wide open, with Charles Fipke’s Lady Speightspeare, an impressive debut winner over the turf on Aug. 22 for trainer Roger Attfield, eliciting the most promise. Also of interest are the first two finishers in the Aug. 23 Catch a Glimpse Stakes at Woodbine, where Wertheimer and Frere’s Alda, trained by Graham Motion, defeated Hoolie Racing Stable’s Dreaming of Drew, trained by Minshall, by a nose.

ABOUT BREEDERS’ CUP

The Breeders’ Cup administers the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred horse racing’s year-end Championships, as well as the Breeders’ Cup Challenge qualifying series, which provides automatic starting positions into the Championships races. The Breeders’ Cup is also a founding member of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition, an organization composed of industry leaders committed to advancing safety measures in Thoroughbred racing and improving the well-being of equine and human athletes.

The 2020 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 Championship races, will be held on November 6-7 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky and features a total of $31 million in purses and awards. The event will be televised live by the NBC Sports Group. Breeders’ Cup press releases appear on the Breeders’ Cup website, breederscup.com. You can also follow the Breeders’ Cup on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

NBC SPORTS GROUP AND HORSE RACING: NBC Sports Group is the exclusive home to the most important and prestigious events in horse racing, including the Triple Crown, the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Royal Ascot, and Pegasus World Cup Invitational Series. NBC has been the exclusive home of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes since 2001, and the Belmont Stakes since 2011, when NBC Sports Group reassembled the Triple Crown.

ABOUT AMERICA’S BEST RACING

America’s Best Racing is a multimedia fan development and awareness-building platform designed to increase the profile and visibility of North America’s best Thoroughbred racing events with a primary focus on the sport’s lifestyle and competition. You can follow America’s Best Racing at americasbestracing.net as well as on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

–NBC SPORTS–

ALABAMA STAKES HIGHLIGHTS BREEDERS’ CUP CHALLENGE SERIES COVERAGE THIS SATURDAY AT 5 P.M. ET ON NBC, LIVE FROM SARATOGA

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Swiss Skydiver Headlines Alabama Stakes with Winner Earning Automatic Berth into $2 Million Breeders’ Cup Distaff

Live Coverage Will be Streamed on NBCSports.com & the NBC Sports app

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.  (Aug. 13, 2020) – Led by multiple graded-stakes winner Swiss Skydiver, a talented field of seven 3-year-old fillies has been entered for Saturday’s 140th running of the 1 ¼-mile, $500,000 Alabama (G1), which will be broadcast live on NBC at 5 p.m. ET from Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The Alabama winner will earn an automatic berth into the $2 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) through the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series.

The one-hour program, which also will include live coverage of the $500,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational on turf, marks the sixth telecast this year in the “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In – presented by America’s Best Racing” on NBC and NBCSN from some of North America’s most iconic racetracks. The series leads to the 37th Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., scheduled for Nov. 6-7 on NBC and NBCSN. The complete series TV schedule can be accessed here.

NBC Sports’ coverage of the Alabama will feature commentary and discussion led by host Ahmed Fareed and analyst Randy Moss from NBC Sports Group’s International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn. Analyst and Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey, who won 15 Breeders’ Cup races, including five victories in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), joins the broadcast from his home in Florida. Reporters Laffit Pincay III, Donna Brothers and Matt Bernier will be on-site at Saratoga.

Live coverage will also be streamed on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs.

Peter Callahan’s Swiss Skydiver has been one of the top rated 3-year-old fillies this year with three graded stakes wins for trainer Ken McPeek. A chestnut daughter of Daredevil, Swiss Skydiver reeled off consecutive scores in the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) on March 28, the Fantasy Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park on May 12 and a front-running, 4-length win in the Santa Anita Oaks (G2) on June 6. McPeek had her take on male rivals next in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2) at Keeneland on July 11. She held the lead through the top of the stretch in the Blue Grass before being passed by Art Collector, and wound up second, beaten 3 ½ lengths. Tyler Gaffalione has the mount on Swiss Skydiver.

“Once we got her going to two turns, she really figured it out and it clicked,” McPeek said. “The further she goes, the stronger she gets. She’s been a real sturdy filly. She eats really well and she’s easy to be around. The Alabama is a great race. It’s a race I’ve won before and I would love to win it again.”

McPeek, who won the 2018 Alabama with Eskimo Kisses, also has entered Walking L. Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys Farm’s Envoutante, who has two wins this year, and was recently third in the Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1) at Keeneland on July 11. Envoutante is French for “bewitching.”  Jose Ortiz will ride Envoutante, seeking his fourth consecutive Alabama win.

Among the other challengers in the Alabama is the lightly-raced Crystal Ball, trained by Bob Baffert. Owned by WinStar Stablemates Racing Inc., Crystal Ball broke her maiden in her second try by 6 ¼ lengths at Santa Anita on June 14. Confident in her abilities despite inexperience, Baffert shipped her to Saratoga for the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks. She hooked up with the favorite Paris Lights and battled side-by-side against her for the last quarter-of a mile in one of the most exciting stretch duels of the year. Paris Lights prevailed in a head-bobbing finish. Javier Castellano has the mount aboard Crystal Ball.

Also lightly-raced is Juddmonte Farms’ Bonny South. Trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr., Bonny South won her first two starts this year, taking an optional claiming race at Oaklawn Park on Feb. 15, and then stepping into stakes company for the first time with a 2 ¼-length win in the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) in New Orleans on March 21. Next, she faced her toughest competition yet in the Central Bank Ashland Stakes. Bonny South chased the leaders into the stretch, but could not sustain a drive to the wire and faded to fourth.

Todd Pletcher trained back-to-back winners of the Alabama in 2013 with Princess of Sylmar and in 2014 with Stopchargingmaria. On Saturday, he’ll start Robert and Lawana Low’s Spice is Nice. A chestnut daughter of 2007 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Curlin, Spice is Nice made a smashing career debut on Jan. 12, breaking her maiden in a one-mile race by 12 lengths at Gulfstream Park. She finished second a month later in the Davona Dale Stakes (G2), but was a disappointing fifth behind Swiss Skydiver in the Gulfstream Park Oaks. Spice is Nice returned after a more than three-month layoff to win a 1 1/16-mile optional allowance race at Belmont Park on July 3. She will be ridden by John Velazquez.

The Estate of Harvey A. Clark and Paul Braverman’s Harvey’s Lil Goil has won three of her last four starts, including the 1 1/8-mile Regret Stakes (G3) on turf at Churchill Downs on June 27. Harvey’s Lil Goil, a gray/roan daughter of 2015 Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner American Pharoah, is trained by Bill Mott, who in 2011 saddled Royal Delta to win the Alabama and the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (G1) (race name Breeders’ Cup Distaff reinstated in 2013). Harvey’s Lil Goil will be ridden by Junior Alvarado.

Completing the Alabama field is Susan Moultan’s Fire Coral, who won back-to-back races at Oaklawn this winter, but has been off the board in her last three starts, including a fourth in Indiana Oaks (G3) on July 8 for trainer Steve Asmussen. Fire Coral is a dark bay daughter of Curlin, who Asmussen trained to Horse of the Year titles in 2007 and 2008. Ricardo Santana Jr. will ride Fire Coral.

West Point Thoroughbreds, William Freeman, William Sandbrook and Cheryl Manning, Decorated Invader headlines the eight-horse field in the 1 3/16-mile Saratoga Derby for 3-year-olds. Trained by Christophe Clement, Decorated Invader is three-for-three in 2020, which includes a 1 ¼-length victory last out on July 18 in the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes (G2) at Saratoga.

ABOUT BREEDERS’ CUP

The Breeders’ Cup administers the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred horse racing’s year-end Championships, as well as the Breeders’ Cup Challenge qualifying series, which provides automatic starting positions into the Championships races. The Breeders’ Cup is also a founding member of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition, an organization composed of industry leaders committed to advancing safety measures in Thoroughbred racing and improving the well-being of equine and human athletes.

The 2020 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 Championship races, will be held on November 6-7 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky and features a total of $35 million in purses and awards. The event will be televised live by the NBC Sports Group. Breeders’ Cup press releases appear on the Breeders’ Cup website, breederscup.com. You can also follow the Breeders’ Cup on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

NBC SPORTS GROUP AND HORSE RACING: NBC Sports Group is the exclusive home to the most important and prestigious events in horse racing, including the Triple Crown, the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Royal Ascot, and Pegasus World Cup Invitational Series. NBC has been the exclusive home of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes since 2001, and the Belmont Stakes since 2011, when NBC Sports Group reassembled the Triple Crown.

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