Shadwell Turf Mile and Juddmonte Spinster Headline This Weekend’s “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series Win And You’re In – Presented By America’s Best Racing”

 NEW YORK (October 4, 2019) – Final automatic qualifying berths into the Breeders’ Cup World Championships will be at stake at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., this weekend during two live “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series Win and You’re In – Presented by America’s Best Racing” programs. Coverage begins this Saturday, October 5, at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN with the $1 million Shadwell Turf Mile and the $500,000 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity. The $500,000 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes highlights live programming this Sunday, October 6, at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC.  This weekend’s shows marks the last two of 11 telecasts in the “Breeders’ Cup Challenge: Win and You’re In Series – Presented by America’s Best Racing” on NBC and NBCSN in 2019 from some of America’s most iconic racetracks. The series leads to the 36th Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park on Nov. 1-2 on NBC and NBCSN. Complete series TV schedule can be accessed here: http://www.breederscup.com/challenge-series

NBC Sports’ coverage this weekend will feature commentary and discussion led by: Nick Luck Randy Moss, Jerry Bailey, Donna Brothers and Eddie Olczyk.

Horse Racing Radio Network (HRRN) also will broadcast live from Keeneland this weekend, beginning on Saturday from 4:00-6:30 p.m. ET on Sirius XM 156, and again on Sunday from 5-6 p.m. ET, on Sirius XM156.  Programs on both days also will be streamed live on horseracingradio.net

The 34^th Shadwell Turf Mile will award the winner a free berth into the TVG Breeders’ Cup Mile at the World Championships. Saturday’s race features the last two Shadwell Turf Mile winners in George Turner and Clipper Logistics’ veteran Suedois (FR) and Michael and Jules Iavarone, Jerry McClanahan et al’s Next Shares, leading the 14 starters.

The 8-year-old gelding Suedois, trained by David O’Meara, enters the Shadwell Turf Mile off a fourth-place finish Sept. 14 in the one-mile Clipper Logistics Boomerang Solonaway Stakes (G2) at Leopardstown in Ireland. Ridden by Jamie Spencer, Suedois has finished in the top three in his last five starts, including a victory in the Weatherbys Racing Bank Supreme Stakes (G3) on Aug. 23 at Goodwood. Following his triumph in the 2017 Shadwell Turf Mile, Suedois finished fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar.

Next Shares was 23-1 in last year’s race and went on to win by 3¼ lengths. This year, Next Shares, trained by Richard Baltas, won the 1 1/8-mile San Gabriel Stakes over the Santa Anita turf course in January.  In his most recent start, he finished seventh in the Tourist Mile at Kentucky Downs on Aug. 31 in his first start in nearly four months.

The 3-year-old Valid Point, for e Five Racing Thoroughbreds, was a late addition and will try older horses for the first time for trainer Chad Brown. Valid Point is undefeated in three starts, including the Secretariat (G1) at Arlington Park on Aug.10.

Preceding the Shadwell Turf Mile will be the 1 1/16-mile Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity for 2-year-olds, a “Win and You’re In” for the TVG Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. A field of 10 will go postward, led by Anderson Stables’ By Your Side, who has won two races in three starts, which includes a three-length score in the Sanford Stakes (G3) at Saratoga. Trained by Eddie Kenneally and ridden by Corey Lanerie, By Your Side will be looking to improve off his fifth-place finish last time out in the Hopeful (G1) at Saratoga.

Todd Pletcher trained back-to-back winners of the Breeders’ Futurity in 2013 with We Miss Artie, and in 2014 with Carpe Diem. This year, the 7-time Eclipse Award Champion Trainer sends out  Team Valor International and WinStar Farm’s Gouverneur Morris, who won his first and only race so far by nine lengths at 5 ½ furlongs over a sloppy track at Saratoga on Sept. 2.

Elate leads Sunday’s Juddmonte Spinster

Keeneland’s opening weekend will conclude with the traditional Sunday closer, the $500,000 “Win and You’re In” Juddmonte Spinster (G1), which will once again offer an automatic starting berth into the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff, though Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider’s homebred and heavy favorite Elate may actually be using the race as a prep for the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The 5-year-old daughter of Medaglia d’Oro earned a Distaff berth when she won Churchill Downs’ “Win and You’re In” Fleur de Lis (G2) in June. However, Elate is 3-for-3 at 1 ¼ miles, which includes a win in the Delaware Handicap (G2) in July, and that record has trainer Bill Mott possibly considering the Classic. Elate, who is 7-for-17 lifetime, was fourth as the favorite for the Distaff at Del Mar in 2017.

Peter Brant’s Dunbar Road could vault to the top of the 3-year-old filly division with a win for trainer Chad Brown. The daughter of Quality Road won Belmont Park’s Mother Goose (G2) in June and Saratoga’s Alabama (G1) Aug. 17, and is 4-for-5 lifetime, while Merribelle Stable’s Blue Prize (ARG) won the Spinster last year for trainer Nacho Correas and was a close fourth in the Distaff at Churchill.

The $250,000 “Win and You’re In” Dixiana Bourbon (G2), at 1 1/16 miles, will offer an automatic starting berth into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and figures to be led by Walking Thoroughbreds’ Fighting Seabee, who is 2-for-2 for trainer Kenny McPeek, including Saratoga’s With Anticipation Stakes (G3) on Aug. 28. JSM Equine’s Peace Achieved won the Gainesway Farm Juvenile at Kentucky Downs on Aug. 31 for trainer Mark Casse.

About Breeders’ Cup

The Breeders’ Cup 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. The 2019 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 championship races (13 Grade 1 events and one Grade 2 race) with purses and awards totaling more than $30 million, will be held on November 1-2 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., and will be televised live by the NBC Sports Group. Breeders’ Cup press releases appear on the Breeders’ Cup website, 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. The 2019 Kentucky Derby posted a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 16.5 million viewers across NBC and NBC Sports Digital platforms – up 10% from last year’s race (15.0 million) featuring eventual Triple Crown winner Justify and marking television’s largest Saturday audience since the NFL Divisional Playoffs (Jan. 12, 2019).

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Steve Alexander, Jared Johnson & Ryan Knaus from Rotoworld NBA Join Dalton Del Don from Yahoo to Draft Against Eight Rotoworld Draft Guide Users

Hosted by NBC Sports’ Ahmed Fareed with Live Commentary from Matt Stroup and Tommy Beer

Live Coverage Streamed on the NBC Sports app, NBCSports.com/Live, Twitch, and YouTube Live

Promo Code ‘NBC20’ Available for 20% Off All NBA Products & Packages

STAMFORD, Conn. – October 2, 2019 – Rotoworld, the industry leader in fantasy sports information, will host its first-ever live NBA Mock Draft tomorrow, October 3, at Noon ET across NBC Sports’ numerous digital platforms just in time for tip-off of the 2019-20 NBA season in late October. Rotoworld fantasy experts Steve Alexander, Jared Johnson and Ryan Knaus will be joined by Yahoo expert Dalton Del Don in a mock draft with eight fans.

The first-annual event pits eight Rotoworld Draft Guide users against the industry’s experts as they draft for a 12-team head-to-head points league on Yahoo Sports’ draft platform. Viewers will be given analysis, strategy advice, and insight into every selection. At the conclusion, a Rotoworld writer will blindly grade the draft.

NBC Sports’ Ahmed Fareed will host the live event, with commentary from Matt Stroup and Tommy Beer.

Live coverage from NBC Sports studios in Stamford, Conn., begins tomorrow, Thursday, October 3, at Noon ET and will be streamed on Twitch, YouTube Live, NBCSports.com/Live, and the NBC Sports app. Viewers can participate by sharing their comments on various platforms throughout the draft.

Rotoworld’s 2019 NBA Draft Guide is now available for $19.99. A one-stop source for all fantasy needs, the 2019 Rotoworld Fantasy NBA Draft Guide is the most comprehensive to date, featuring the projected 2019 stats of over 350 NBA player profiles, rankings, projections, mock drafts and more. In addition, Rotoworld’s 2019 All-In Package, which includes the NBA DFS Toolkit, the NBA Draft Guide, and the NBA Season Pass, is available for $99.99.

Rotoworld is additionally providing 20% off all NBA products and packages to users with the code ‘NBC20’ through the weekend, expiring Sunday, October 6, at 11:59 p.m. ET. To purchase Rotoworld Fantasy NBA products or packages online, visit here.

ABOUT ROTOWORLD

Rotoworld, the internet’s highest-trafficked fantasy sports information site, is the industry leader in fantasy sports information. Rotoworld.com features comprehensive news, headlines, fantasy columns and premium draft kits via the web, the NBC Sports mobile website, Rotoworld Fantasy News app, and two paid Draft Guide mobile apps for football and baseball. It also produces numerous successful podcasts. Rotoworld.com is part of NBC Sports Digital, a division of the NBC Sports Group.

– NBC SPORTS DIGITAL –

NEW YORK (Sept. 26, 2019) – McKinzie, the top-rated horse in the Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings, headlines the Awesome Again Stakes (G1) in an action-packed two-hour live telecast of Breeders’ Cup Challenge qualifiers this Saturday, Sept. 28 from Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California live on NBCSN, beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Saturday’s program marks the ninth of 11 telecasts in the “Breeders’ Cup Challenge: Win and You’re In Series – Presented by America’s Best Racing” on NBC and NBCSN from some of America’s most iconic racetracks. The series leads to the 36th Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park on Nov. 1-2 on NBC and NBCSN. Complete series TV schedule can be accessed here: http://www.breederscup.com/challenge-series

NBC Sports’ coverage will feature commentary and discussion led by: Randy Moss, Nick Luck, Laffit Pincay III, Britney Eurton, and Matt Bernier.

The telecast also will include live coverage of the Rodeo Drive Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita, which will give the winner an automatic berth into the Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, and features “Win and You’re In” qualifiers from Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., and Newmarket Racecourse in Great Britain.

Owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, and trained by Bob Baffert, the 4-year-old McKinzie leads the $300,000 1 1/8-mile Awesome Again. The 4-year-old son of 2006 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Street Sense has been atop the handicap division for much of the year, supported by his wins in the Alysheba Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs back in May and in the “Win and You’re in” Whitney (G1) at Saratoga on Aug. 3. McKinzie will use the Awesome Again as a springboard to the Classic, a race he was a disappointing 12^th in last year at Churchill Downs.

McKinzie’s two main challengers in the Awesome Again will be Hronis Racing’s 4-year-old Higher Power and Charles Fipke’s 6-year-old Seeking the Soul. Higher Power is trained by John Sadler, who won last year’s Awesome Again and the Breeders’ Cup Classic with Accelerate. Higher Power has come into his own lately, evidenced by a 5 ¼-length runaway win in the “Win and You’re In” TVG Pacific Classic (G1) in his last start on Aug. 17.

Seeking the Soul, second in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, has raced well at longer distances this year. Trained by Dallas Stewart, Seeking the Soul finished second in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) in January, and won the Stephen Foster (G2) at Churchill Downs in June to earn an automatic bid into the Classic.

Preceding the Awesome Again will be the $300,000 1 ¼ mile-Rodeo Drive, for fillies and mares on turf. The race is led by All Schlaich Stables, Gatto Racing, George Todaro’s defending champion Vasilika. The 5-year-old daughter of Skipshot, trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, has won 18-of-34 stats and 13 of 16 since being claimed for $40,000 in February 2018. She has won eight graded stakes. Vasilika won the Gamely Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita in May, and captured the John C. Mabee Stakes at Del Mar by a nose.

Slam Dunk Racing and Medallion Racing’s Beau Recall (IRE) has been in top form all year for trainer Brad Cox, and the 5-year-old daughter of Sire Prancealot (IRE) is the only horse to defeat Vasilika this year, which she did in the Yellow Ribbon Stakes (G2) at Del Mar Aug. 3.

Prior to the Awesome Again, Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., will host the second to last “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Classic with the 1 ¼ mile Jockey Club Gold Cup. The Gold Cup is led by 6-year-old Preservationist, winner of both the Suburban over the Belmont surface and the Woodward at Saratoga last month. Preservationist will be challenged by two 3-year-olds in Code Of Honor, who won the Travers (G1) at Saratoga and Tacitus, who won the Tampa Bay Derby (G2) and the Wood Memorial (G2), and was second in the Travers.

***

About Breeders’ Cup

The Breeders’ Cup 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. The 2019 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 championship races (13 Grade 1 events and one Grade 2 race) with purses and awards totaling more than $30 million, will be held on November 1-2 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., and will be televised live by the NBC Sports Group. Breeders’ Cup press releases appear on the Breeders’ Cup website, 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. The 2019 Kentucky Derby posted a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 16.5 million viewers across NBC and NBC Sports Digital platforms – up 10% from last year’s race (15.0 million) featuring eventual Triple Crown winner Justify and marking television’s largest Saturday audience since the NFL Divisional Playoffs (Jan. 12, 2019).

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NEW YORK (Sept. 19, 2019) – The $1 million Pennsylvania Derby for 3-year-olds, led by Preakness Stakes winner War of Will, and the $1 million Cotillion Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, led by the undefeated Guarana, headline the “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series – Presented by America’s Best Racing” broadcast this Saturday, Sept. 21 live on NBC at 5 p.m. ET from Parx Racing in Bensalem, Pa.

Saturday’s one-hour program from outside Philadelphia marks the eighth of 11 telecasts in the “Breeders’ Cup Challenge: Win and You’re In Series – Presented by America’s Best Racing” on NBC and NBCSN from some of America’s most iconic racetracks. The series leads to the 36th Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., on Nov. 1-2 on NBC and NBCSN. Complete series TV schedule can be accessed here: http://www.breederscup.com/challenge-series

NBC Sports’ coverage of the two Grade 1 races will feature commentary and discussion led by: Randy Moss, Jerry Bailey, Nick Luck, Britney Eurton, and Matt Bernier.

Gary Barber’s War of Will was a troubled and well-publicized eighth in the Kentucky Derby (moved up to seventh) then returned to win the Preakness for trainer Mark Casse. War of Will, who is 4-for-12 lifetime, also won the LeComte (G3) and Risen Star (G2) at Fair Grounds in New Orleans this winter, but has disappointed in his last two starts, running ninth in the Belmont in June and fifth in Saratoga’s Jim Dandy (G2) July 27.

WinStar Farm, China Horse Club International, and Starlight Racing’s Improbable is the 8-5 favorite for the Pennsylvania Derby, which will be run at 1 1/8 miles. Improbable was the favorite in the Kentucky Derby (G1) after running second in Oaklawn Park’s Rebel (G2) and Arkansas Derby (G1) earlier this year, but was a trouble-free fifth for trainer Bob Baffert. The son of City Zip then followed that up with a sixth as the favorite in the Preakness before bypassing the Belmont and aiming for a late-summer and fall campaign. Improbable returned to win the Del Mar’s Shared Belief Stakes on Aug. 25, his first win of the year.

Allied Racing Stable’s Mr. Money will step up in class following four lopsided grade 3 victories for trainer Bret Calhoun, most recently by six lengths in the West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer park Aug.3. The son of two-time Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner, Goldencents, clearly rates as the now horse, as he’s won those four starts by a combined 20 ¼ lengths.

The “Win and You’re In” Cotillion, run at 1 1/16 miles, is shaping up as one of the best races in the 3-year-old filly ranks this year, and will give the winner an automatic berth into the $2 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Three Chimneys Farm’s Guarana is putting her undefeated record on the line for trainer Chad Brown. The daughter of 2004 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner, Ghostzapper, favored at 9-5, has been a dynamo in her three starts, winning her debut at Keeneland in April by 14 ¾ lengths, Belmont Park’s Acorn (G1) in June by 6 lengths, and then went wire-to-wire in taking Saratoga’s Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) July 19.

Competition runs deep, however, with Joel Politi’s Serengeti Empress taking another shot at Guarana after she set a torrid pace and was a clear second in the Acorn. The daughter of Alteration won the Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs in May for trainer Tom Amoss and has been as impressive in defeat as she has in victory, most notably a super second-place finish in Saratoga’s Test (G1) Aug. 3. Kaleem Shah’s Bellafina, who won the Santa Anita Oaks (G1) in April for trainer Simon Callaghan but was just fifth in the Kentucky Oaks and a distant third in the Test, brings some star power, as does DJ Stable’s Jaywalk, who won last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita for trainer John Servis but is just 1-for-5 since.

About Breeders’ Cup

The Breeders’ Cup 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. The 2019 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 championship races (13 Grade 1 events and one Grade 2 race) with purses and awards totaling more than $30 million, will be held on November 1-2 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., and will be televised live by the NBC Sports Group. Breeders’ Cup press releases appear on the Breeders’ Cup website, 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. The 2019 Kentucky Derby posted a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 16.5 million viewers across NBC and NBC Sports Digital platforms – up 10% from last year’s race (15.0 million) featuring eventual Triple Crown winner Justify and marking television’s largest Saturday audience since the NFL Divisional Playoffs (Jan. 12, 2019).

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NEW YORK (Sept. 5, 2019) – Led by A Thread of Blue and Henley’s Joy, a field of nine 3-year-olds has been entered for the brand new “Win and You’re In” $1 million Jockey Club Derby, which anchors an outstanding program of turf racing at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., live this Saturday, Sept. 7 at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

Saturday’s 90-minute show marks the seventh of 11 telecasts in the “Breeders’ Cup Challenge: Win and You’re In Series – Presented by America’s Best Racing” on NBC and NBCSN from some of America’s most iconic racetracks. The series leads to the 36th Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., on Nov. 1-2 on NBC and NBCSN. Complete series TV schedule can be accessed here: http://www.breederscup.com/challenge-series Saturday’s broadcast also will include the $750,000 Jockey Club Oaks, for 3-year-old fillies, on the Belmont Park turf course, and the $700,000 Runhappy Turf Sprint, a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint from Kentucky Downs in Franklin, Kentucky, featuring two-time defending Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Stormy Liberal.

NBC Sports’ coverage of the Jockey Club Derby will feature commentary and discussion led by Ahmed Fareed, Eddie Olczyk, Kenny Rice, Britney Eurton and Matt Bernier.

The winner of the 1 ½ mile Jockey Club Derby, which includes horses from Great Britain, France and Canada, as well as the United States, will earn an automatic berth into the $4 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf.  The Jockey Club Derby is also the third leg of Belmont’s “Turf Trinity” for 3-year-olds. Henley’s Joy, trained by Mike Maker for Bloom Racing Stable, won the first leg of the series, the Belmont Derby (G1) on July 6, and Leonard Green’s A Thread of Blue, trained by Kiaran McLaughlin and ridden by Jose Lezcano, won the second leg, the Saratoga Derby Invitational at Saratoga Race Course on Aug. 4.

Henley’s Joy captured the 1 ¼-mile Belmont Derby by three-quarters of a length at odds of 20-1 for his first victory of the year, but in the Saratoga Derby, the chestnut son of Kitten’s Joy had to swing very wide into the stretch and could only manage a fifth-place finish, beaten 4 ½ lengths.

A Thread of Blue, however, had things all his way in the Saratoga Derby, breaking sharply at the start and securing a comfortable lead into deep stretch, while holding off the fast-closing  Digital Age (IRE) for one-length victory.  A Thread of Blue, who has won times in five starts this year, will be ridden by Luis Saez.

Klaravich Stables’ Digital Age, a bay son of Invincible Spirit, has won three-of-five starts for three-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown.  Digital Age, the 5-2 favorite morning-line favorite in the Jockey Club Derby, won his first two career races at Tampa Bay Downs during the winter, and then made a big score by taking the American Turf (G2) at Churchill Downs on May 4.  Subsequently, he finished fourth, beaten two lengths in the Belmont Derby and then was second in the Saratoga Derby. Digital Age will be ridden by Javier Castellano.

Down from Canada come’s L and N Racing’s Tone Broke, who won the last two legs of the Canadian Triple Crown. A bay son of Broken Vow, trained by Steve Asmussen, Tone Broke took the 1 3/16-mile Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie on July 23 and then the 1 ½-mile Breeders’ Stakes at Woodbine on Aug. 17, with both races run on turf.

Shipping in from England is Earle Mack and Team Valor’s Spanish Mission. Trained by David Simcock and ridden by Jamie Spencer, Spanish Mission won the Bahrain Trophy (G3) by four lengths at Newmarket in July, and was recently third in his last start on Aug. 1, beaten by a neck in the Qatar Gordon Stakes (G3) at Goodwood.

OTI Racing’s Irish-bred San Huberto, ships in from France for trainer Fabrice Chappet. A three-time winner from five starts, San Huberto won the  Prix Club Hipico Concepcion – Prix Michel Houyvet at 1 ¾-miles on Aug. at Deauville.

The 1 3/8-mile Belmont Oaks is the final leg of the “Turf Tiara,” for 3-year-old fillies, which started with the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks and continued with the Saratoga Oaks Invitational in August. Three European runners lead the race, including Stella Thayer’s Wonderment (IRE),  who seeks her first win since the Group 1 Criterium de Saint Cloud last October in France;  Love So Deep (JPN), trained by Jane Chapple-Hyam, who enters the race off of a close second in the Group 2 Darley Prix de Pomone at Deauville, and His Highness the Aga Khan’s Edisa, who had two runner-up efforts in the Group 3 Prix de Psyche on July 27 at Deauville, which came after running second in the Group 2 Prix de Malleret at Saint Cloud. Edisa is trained by Alain Royer-Dupre, who won the inaugural Breeders’ Cup Turf with Lashkari in 1984.

Shipping in from California  is Lady Prancealot (IRE), who has never finished off the board in five starts this year for trainer Richard Baltas. Lady Prancealot  won the Grade 3 Honeymoon at Santa Anita two starts back before finishing third in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks on Aug. 17.

The ”Win and You’re In” Runhappy Turf Sprint at Kentucky Downs is shaping up as one of the stronger turf sprints of the year. Run at six furlongs, the Turf Sprint has attracted Rockingham Ranch’s reigning two-time Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Stormy Liberal, who is still looking for his first win after four starts this year. The 7-year-old son of Stormy Atlantic ended 2018 with a win at Churchill Downs in the Turf Sprint for trainer Peter Miller but has been a bit unlucky this year, as he’s run well without winning, including a third-place finish in the Al Quoz Sprint (G1) at Meydan in Dubai in March. The main challenge should come from Amy Dunne’s Leinster, who won the 5 ½-furlong Troy Stakes (G3) in course-record time at Saratoga in a breakthrough performance for trainer Rusty Arnold.

About Breeders’ Cup

The Breeders’ Cup 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. The 2019 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 championship races (13 Grade 1 events and one Grade 2 race) with purses and awards totaling more than $30 million, will be held on November 1-2 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., and will be televised live by the NBC Sports Group. Breeders’ Cup press releases appear on the Breeders’ Cup website, 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. The 2019 Kentucky Derby posted a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 16.5 million viewers across NBC and NBC Sports Digital platforms – up 10% from last year’s race (15.0 million) featuring eventual Triple Crown winner Justify and marking television’s largest Saturday audience since the NFL Divisional Playoffs (Jan. 12, 2019).

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NEW YORK (Aug. 8, 2019) – Led by the Chad Brown-trained trio Uni (GB), Raging Bull (FR) and Made You Look, a field of 10 runners has been entered for the one-mile, $500,000 Fourstardave Handicap, which will be broadcast live this Saturday, Aug. 10 from Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. at 5 p.m. ET on NBC.

Saturday’s show marks the sixth of 11 telecasts in the “Breeders’ Cup Challenge: Win and You’re In Series – Presented by America’s Best Racing” on NBC and NBCSN from some of America’s most iconic racetracks. The series leads to the 36th Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. on Nov. 1-2, airing on NBC and NBCSN. The series’ complete TV schedule can be accessed here: http://www.breederscup.com/challenge-series The Grade 1 Fourstardave, new to the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series this year, will give the winner an automatic berth into the Grade 1, $2 million TVG Breeders’ Cup Mile, which will be run at one mile on the turf course at Santa Anita.

NBC Sports’ coverage of the Fourstardave will feature commentary and discussion led by Laffit Pincay III, Randy Moss, Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey, Britney Eurton and Matt Bernier.

The Fourstardave is a race rich in Breeders’ Cup history, as six of its winners have gone on to win the Breeders’ Cup Mile, including two in the last three years: Tourist in 2016 and World Approval in 2017. The two-time Horse of the Year, Wise Dan, won both the Fourstardave and the Breeders’ Cup Mile in 2012 and 2013, as did the venerable Da Hoss in 1996, Lure in 1993 and Steinlen (FR) in 1989.  Reigning Eclipse-Award winning trainer Chad Brown, seeking his first Fourstardave winner, has a talented 5-year-old mare in Uni, who is riding a five-race winning streak dating back to last year, which includes the Grade 1 Matriarch at Del Mar. Owned by Michael Dubb, Robert LaPenta, Head of Plains Partners and Bethlehem Stables, Uni is 6 of 9 since coming from France to the US in the summer of 2017. On Jun. 29, Uni, making her first start in six months, won the one-mile Perfect Sting Stakes at Belmont Park by one length.  The 4-year-old Raging Bull had two stakes wins at Saratoga last summer, taking the Hall of Fame Stakes and Saranac. Owned by Peter Brant, Raging Bull closed out last year winning the Grade 1 Hollywood at Del Mar. He finished third last time out in the Manhattan at Belmont Park. Brown’s third starter, the 5-year-old Made You Look, finished fourth in last year’s Fourstardave and was most recently fourth in the Forbidden Apple Stakes at Saratoga on Jul. 12.

Trainer Mark Casse has entered the 4-year-old filly Got Stormy, who has finished in the top three in all four of her starts this year. She comes into this year’s race with a striking four-length win at Saratoga on Aug. 3 in the one-mile Fasig-Tipton De La Rose Stakes against fillies and mares. Casse, who trained Live Oak Plantation’s World Approval to win the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Mile, also has entered Live Oak Plantation’s 4-year-old gelding March the Arch. March the Arch has won two of four starts this year, including the Wise Dan Stakes at Churchill Downs on Jun. 15. Casse also won the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Mile with the filly Tepin.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott has won the Fourstardave four times, most recently with Tourist. His starter this year is William Schettine’s 5-year-old Krampus, who won the Canadian Turf Stakes at Gulfstream Park in April.     From Europe, making his US debut, comes the Simon Crisford-trained 4-year-old Ostilio (GB), whose two wins last year included the one-mile Britannia Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Daniel Wildenstein at ParisLongchamp. The Fourstardave is named after one of Saratoga’s most popular racehorses. Nicknamed the “Sultan of Saratoga,” Fourstardave won at least one race every year at Saratoga from 1987 until 1994, including this one in 1990 and 1991 when it was called the Daryl’s Joy. The race was renamed the Fourstardave in 1996.

About Breeders’ Cup

The Breeders’ Cup 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. The 2019 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 championship races (13 Grade 1 events and one Grade 2 race) with purses and awards totaling more than $30 million, will be held on November 1-2 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., and will be televised live by the NBC Sports Group. Breeders’ Cup press releases appear on the Breeders’ Cup website, 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. The 2019 Kentucky Derby posted a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 16.5 million viewers across NBC and NBC Sports Digital platforms – up 10% from last year’s race (15.0 million) featuring eventual Triple Crown winner Justify and marking television’s largest Saturday audience since the NFL Divisional Playoffs (Jan. 12, 2019).

 

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Winner Gets Automatic Berth into Breeders’ Cup Classic   

NEW YORK (August 1, 2019) – The top four horses in the latest Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings – McKinzie, Thunder Snow (IRE), Vino Rosso  and Preservationist – lead an outstanding cast of eight horses slated to battle in the $1 million Whitney, which will be televised live this Saturday, Aug. 3 from historic Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN as a part of the “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In – Presented by America’s Best Racing.”

Saturday’s show marks the fifth of11 telecasts in the “Breeders’ Cup Challenge: Win and You’re In Series – Presented by America’s Best Racing” on NBC and NBCSN from some of America’s most iconic racetracks. The series leads to the 36th Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., on Nov. 1-2 on NBC and NBCSN. Complete series TV schedule can be accessed here: http://www.breederscup.com/challenge-series The Whitney winner will earn an automatic berth into the 1 ¼-mile, $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.

NBC Sports’ coverage of the Whitney will be hosted by Ahmed Fareed, who will be joined by analysts Randy Moss and Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey, reporter Laffit Pincay III and reporter/handicapper Matt Bernier.

Over the years, five Whitney winners have gone on to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has saddled three Classic winners, but is seeking his first Whitney winner on Saturday with Mike Pegram, Paul Weitman and Karl Watson’s 4-year-old McKinzie, the top rated horse in the Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings, who has been installed as the 7-5 favorite for the 1 1/8-mile race.  McKinzie, ridden by Mike Smith, has been first or second in his last five starts. He was a dominant 4 ¾-length  winner of the Alysheba Stakes at Churchill Downs on May 3, and was second in the Metropolitan Handicap at one mile on June 8 at Belmont Park after encountering traffic trouble in the stretch.

“We’re excited and really looking forward to running in this race,” said Baffert. “He’s trained forwardly since the Met Mile and he’s come out of that race really well.”

Godophin Racing’s 5-year-old Thunder Snow is the 3-1 co-second choice, along with Preservationist,  in the Whitney. Trained by Saeed bin Suroor, Thunder Snow is the richest active Thoroughbred in racing with $16,511,476 in total earnings. A two-time winner of the Dubai World Cup, Thunder Snow, who finished third in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs, was also third in the Met Mile in his last start. He will be ridden on Saturday by Christophe Soumillon.

Vino Rosso, a 4-year-old son of 2007 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Curlin, has been well rested since his successful West Coast trip in the spring when he captured the 1 ¼-mile Gold Cup at Santa Anita on May 27. Trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, Vino Rosso finished second in the Jim Dandy Stakes and fifth in the Travers last year at Saratoga.

Centennial Farm’s 6-year-old Preservationist has been nagged by injuries throughout his career, but put it all together in the 1 ¼-mile Suburban at Belmont on July 6, winning by 4 ½ lengths for trainer Jimmy Jerkens. Preservationist, ridden by Junior Alvarado, has won five of eight starts.

China Horse Club International, WinStar Farm and Head of Plains Partners’ 5-year-old Yoshida (JPN) has been a versatile runner winning major stakes races on both turf and dirt. He was extremely impressive in winning last summer’s Woodward at Saratoga by two lengths, and then finished fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Saddled by Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott and ridden by Joel Rosario, Yoshida is seeking his first win this year in three starts, and was most recently sixth in the Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs on June 15.

About Breeders’ Cup

The Breeders’ Cup 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. The 2019 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 championship races (13 Grade 1 events and one Grade 2 race) with purses and awards totaling more than $30 million, will be held on November 1-2 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., and will be televised live by the NBC Sports Group. Breeders’ Cup press releases appear on the Breeders’ Cup website, 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. The 2019 Kentucky Derby posted a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 16.5 million viewers across NBC and NBC Sports Digital platforms – up 10% from last year’s race (15.0 million) featuring eventual Triple Crown winner Justify and marking television’s largest Saturday audience since the NFL Divisional Playoffs (Jan. 12, 2019).

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CHICHESTER, WEST SUSSEX, ENGLAND (July 29, 2019) – Led by Lord Lloyd-Webber’s 3-year-old homebred Too Darn Hot (GB) and Flaxman Stables, Mrs. John Magnier and Michael Tabor’s Circus Maximus (IRE), nine horses have been entered for Wednesday’s US$1,303,453, one mile, Qatar Sussex Stakes (G1) from Goodwood Racecourse, with the winner receiving an automatic starting position into the $2 million TVG Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1), through the international Breeders’ Cup Challenge.

NBCSN will televise the Sussex Stakes live in the U.S. during a two-hour telecast (9-11 a.m. ET) live from Goodwood.

The Breeders’ Cup Challenge is an international series of 86 stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, which will be held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, on Nov.1-2. As a part of the benefits of the Challenge series, the Breeders’ Cup will pay the pre-entry and entry fees for the Sussex Stakes winner to start in the Mile. Breeders’ Cup also will provide a $40,000 travel allowance for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships. The Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders’ Cup program by the Championships’ pre-entry deadline of Oct. 21 to receive the rewards. First run in 1878, over the years the Sussex Stakes has been won by such outstanding champions as Brigadier Gerard (1971), Giant’s Causeway (2000) and Frankel (GB) (2011,2012).

Fresh from their tour de force with the super mare Enable (GB) in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes on Saturday, the trainer-jockey combination of John Gosden and Frankie Dettori team up in the Sussex, with the 6-5 favored Too Darn Hot, who was a commanding three-length winner in the seven-furlong Qatar Prix Jean Prat (G1) over the straight course at Deauville in France on July 7. A bay son of Dubawi (IRE) out of Dar Re Mi (GB) by Singspiel (IRE), the Prix Jean Prat was a reversal of form from his third-place finish as the 6-5 favorite in the one-mile St. James’s Palace (G1) at Royal Ascot on June 18.

Last year, Too Darn Hot earned the title of European 2-Year-Old Champion, going unbeaten in four starts, climaxed by a 2 ¼-length victory in the Darley Dewhurst Stakes (G1) at Newmarket last October. He began 2019 with two second-place finishes in the 1 3/8-mile Dante Stakes (G2) at York on May 16 and a three-length defeat in the Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas (G1) at the Curragh on May 25.

Circus Maximus sprung a 10-1 upset in the St. James’s Palace, holding on to a neck win over King of Comedy (GB), with Too Darn Hot in third. Trained by Aidan O’Brien, a four-time winner of Sussex, Circus Maximus was sixth in the Investec Derby (G1) at Epsom on June 1 prior to his St. James’s Palace score. A 3-year-old bay son of Galileo (IRE), ridden by Ryan Moore, Circus Maximus won his 2019 debut in the 1 3/8-mile Homeserve Dee Stakes at Chester on May 9.

Tony Wechsler and Ann Plummer’s 3-year-old Phoenix of Spain (IRE), a gray son of Lope de Vega (IRE), trained by Charlie Hills and ridden by Jamie Spencer, defeated Too Darn Hot in the Irish 2000 Guineas in his first start of the year. But as the 5-2 second choice in the St. James’s Palace, he weakened in the final furlong after chasing the leaders and wound up sixth, beaten 3 ¾ lengths.

Geoff and Sandra Turnbull’s venerable gray Lord Glitters (FR) earned an automatic berth into the TVG Breeders’ Cup Mile when he won the one-mile Queen Anne Stakes (G1) by a neck over Beat the Bank (GB) at 14-1 to open the Royal Ascot meeting on June18. That effort was marked improvement over his 13th place finish in the one-mile Lockinge Stakes (G1) at Newbury in his prior start. A 6-year-old gelded son of Whipper, ridden by Danny Tudhope, Lord Glitters finished third in the 1 1/8-mile Dubai Turf (G1) at Meydan on March 30 in his 2019 debut.

Also of interest the Roger Varian-trained Zabeel Prince (IRE), who won the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan at Longchamp on May 26 at ParisLongchamp, and the Eve Johnson Houghton-trained 5-year-old Accidental Agent (GB) who defeated Lord Glitters in last year’s Queen Anne.

The Sussex Stakes is the sixth Breeders’ Cup Challenge race in the TVG Mile division this year. The other Mile qualifiers thus far are: Do It Again (SAF), winner of the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate (G1) at Kenilworth, South Africa, Tamburo Di Oro (CHI), who won the Gran Premio Club Hipico Falabella (G1) in Santiago, Chile, Bolo (USA), winner of the Shoemaker Mile (G1) at Santa Anita, Indy Champ (JPN), who captured the Yasuda Kinen (G1) in Tokyo, Japan and Lord Glitters.

About Breeders’Cup

The Breeders’ Cup 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. The 2019 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 championship races (13 Grade 1 events and one Grade 2 race) with purses and awards totaling more than $30 million, will be held on November 1-2 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., and will be televised live by the NBC Sports Group. Breeders’ Cup press releases appear on the Breeders’ Cup website, http://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. The 2019 Kentucky Derby posted a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 16.5 million viewers across NBC and NBC Sports Digital platforms – up 10% from last year’s race (15.0 million) featuring eventual Triple Crown winner Justify and marking television’s largest Saturday audience since the NFL Divisional Playoffs (Jan. 12, 2019).

NEW YORK (July 18, 2019) – Maximum Security, who finished first in the 2019 Kentucky Derby before being disqualified, headlines a talented field of seven 3-year-olds in the $1 million TVG.com Haskell Invitational, which will be broadcast live from Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J this Saturday, July 20  at 5 p.m. ET on NBC as a part of the “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In – Presented by America’s Best Racing.”  Saturday’s show marks the fourth of 11 telecasts in the “Breeders’ Cup Challenge: Win and You’re In Series – Presented by America’s Best Racing” on NBC and NBCSN from some of America’s most iconic racetracks. The series leads to the 36th Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., on Nov. 1-2 on NBC and NBCSN. Complete series TV schedule can be accessed here: http://www.breederscup.com/challenge-series The TVG.com Haskell winner will earn an automatic berth into the 1 ¼-mile, $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.

NBC Sports’ coverage of the Haskell will be hosted by Nick Luck, who will be joined by analysts Randy Moss and Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey, reporter Laffit Pincay III and reporter/handicapper Eddie Olczyk.

Maximum Security, owned by Gary and Mary West and trained by Jason Servis, crossed the wire first in the Kentucky Derby on May 4, but became the first horse in the history of the “Run for the Roses” to be disqualified for interference at the top of the stretch. The controversial finish was the first career defeat for the son of 2013 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner New Year’s Day. Maximum Security won the Florida Derby in March prior to the Kentucky Derby.

“This race is really important in the campaign for the 3-year-old champion. The Haskell could be critical,” said Servis at Wednesday’s post-position draw, when Maximum Security drew the No. 7 post and was installed as the 8-5 morning line favorite.

In his first start since the Derby, Maximum Security finished second by a length to Red Oak Stable’s King for a Day in the 1 1/16-mile Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth on June 16.  Trained by Todd Pletcher, King for a Day has won three of five starts, including a 2 ½-length score in the Sir Barton Stakes at Pimlico on Preakness Day.

“This is a big step up from the Pegasus, but he’s an enthusiastically training colt. He’s had three solid works and I couldn’t be more delighted with the way he’s coming into the race,” said Pletcher, who has assigned Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez to ride King for a Day from post 1 the 5-2 third choice.

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert holds the Haskell training record with eight wins, which includes the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, who went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic and become racing’s first Grand Slam winner.

For Saturday, Baffert ships in from his Southern California base Michael Peterson’s Mucho Gusto, a winner of 5 of 7 lifetime starts, and the 2-1 second choice. A chestnut son of 2013 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Mucho Macho Man, Mucho Gusto comes into the Haskell off consecutive wins at Santa Anita in the seven-furlong La Brea Stakes on May 18 and in the1 1/16-mile Affirmed Stakes on June 16.

“He shipped really well and he couldn’t be doing any better,” said Baffert. “After he won last out (in the Affirmed) I thought he was ready for this. He deserves his chance to take on Grade 1 company.”

Among the other challengers in the Haskell are Jeff and Michael Fazio’s Joevia, who finished third in the Belmont Stakes, and Calumet Farm’s Everfast, who finished second in the Preakness Stakes.

The Haskell field in post-position order with jockeys and morning line odds is as follows: King for a Day, John Velazquez, 5-2; Joevia, Jose Lezcano, 10-1; Spun to Run, Paco Lopez, 15-1; Bethlehem Road, Luis A. Rodriguez Castro, 20-1; Mucho Gusto, Joe Talamo, 2-1; Everfast, Julien Leparoux, 10-1; Maximum Security, Luis Saez, 8-5.

About Breeders’ Cup

The Breeders’ Cup 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. The 2019 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 championship races (13 Grade 1 events and one Grade 2 race) with purses and awards totaling more than $30 million, will be held on November 1-2 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., and will be televised live by the NBC Sports Group. Breeders’ Cup press releases appear on the Breeders’ Cup website, 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. The 2019 Kentucky Derby posted a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 16.5 million viewers across NBC and NBC Sports Digital platforms – up 10% from last year’s race (15.0 million) featuring eventual Triple Crown winner Justify and marking television’s largest Saturday audience since the NFL Divisional Playoffs (Jan. 12, 2019).

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NEW YORK (July 3, 2019) – An automatic berth into the Breeders’ Cup Sprint is on the line in the John A. Nerud Stakes on Saturday, July 6 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. live at 4 p.m. ET on NBC as part of the “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In – Presented by America’s Best Racing.”  The seven-furlong John A. Nerud is one of three stakes races on the Stars and Stripes Day two-hour broadcast from Belmont, which also will include the 11/8-mile, $1 million Belmont Derby (G1) on turf for 3-year-olds, and the $750,000 Belmont Oaks for 3-year-old fillies, also on turf. Saturday’s show marks the third of 11 telecasts in the “Breeders’ Cup Challenge: Win and You’re In Series – Presented by America’s Best Racing” on NBC and NBCSN from some of America’s most iconic racetracks. The series leads to the 36th Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., on Nov. 1-2 on NBC and NBCSN. Complete series TV schedule can be accessed here: http://www.breederscup.com/challenge-series

NBC Sports’ coverage will be hosted by Ahmed Fareed, who will be joined by analyst and Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey, reporters Britney Eurton and Laffit Pincay III and reporter/handicapper Eddie Olcyzk.

The John A. Nerud, named for one of Thoroughbred racing’s most renowned trainers and owners, and one of the Founders of the Breeders’ Cup, is led by the 4-year-old colt Promises Fulfilled, trained by Dale Romans, a winner of six races in 14 starts.  In preparing for last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint, Promises Fulfilled won the three consecutive races, taking Amsterdam and the Allen Jerkens Stakes at Saratoga and the Phoenix Stakes at Keeneland, prior to a fourth-place finish in the Sprint at Churchill Downs. A chestnut son of Shackleford, who won the 2011 Preakness Stakes for Romans, Promises Fulfilled comes into Saturday’s race off a fourth-place finish in the Metropolitan Handicap on Belmont Stakes Day, June 8.

The 4-year-old Nicodemus, trained by Linda Rice, has three wins in eight starts, including a victory in the Westchester at Aqueduct in May. He comes into Saturday’s race off a fourth-place finish in the True North, beaten by 2 ½ lengths.

Three Diamonds Farm’s 6-year-old gelding Do Share is seeking his 10^th career win.. Trained by Michael Maker, Do Share won the Tom Fool Handicap at Aqueduct in March and was fourth in the Churchill Downs Stakes on May 4 in his last start.

Pat on the Back, a 5-year-old New York bred, trained by Jeremiah Englehart, has won both his starts at Belmont Park this year. Pat on the Back won the six-furlong Affirmed Stakes over a sloppy track on April 26 and followed up that performance by taking the one-mile Commentator Stakes on May 27.

An international cast of stars is expected for the Belmont Derby and the Belmont Oaks.

The Belmont Derby is the first leg of the New York Racing Association’s Turf Trinity, which includes the Saratoga Derby in August and the Jockey Club Derby back at Belmont in September.

In the Belmont Derby, leading Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien could start Cape of Good Hope (GB), who was fourth in the French Derby at Chantilly in June and Blenheim Palace (IRE), second in the Dubai Duty Free Full of Surprises International Stakes at the Curragh in Ireland.  Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown is expected to start the undefeated Digital Age, who won the American Turf at Churchill Downs on May. 4.

In the Belmont Oaks, trainer Rusty Arnold has Florida Oaks winner Concrete Rose.  Chad Brown is looking for better things with last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Newspaperofrecord, who will be trying to improve off two second-place finishes this year.

About Breeders’ Cup

The Breeders’ Cup 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. The 2019 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 championship races (13 Grade 1 events and one Grade 2 race) with purses and awards totaling more than $30 million, will be held on November 1-2 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., and will be televised live by the NBC Sports Group. Breeders’ Cup press releases appear on the Breeders’ Cup website, 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. The 2019 Kentucky Derby posted a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 16.5 million viewers across NBC and NBC Sports Digital platforms – up 10% from last year’s race (15.0 million) featuring eventual Triple Crown winner Justify and marking television’s largest Saturday audience since the NFL Divisional Playoffs (Jan. 12, 2019).

– NBC SPORTS –