The upcoming weekend shapes up to be one of the most anticipated on the North American horse racing calendar, as two prestigious tracks open their summer meets and another popular venue hosts an important Breeders’ Cup prep race.
At Monmouth Park on Saturday, July 17, the 54th TVG.com Haskell Stakes is a “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series race for the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, held this year on Nov. 6 at Del Mar. The Haskell is scheduled to feature Hot Rod Charlie, Mandaloun, and Midnight Bourbon in what should be a competitive race that will also influence the 3-year-old divisional standings.
The Haskell will be broadcast live on NBC during a show that airs from 5 – 6 p.m. ET Saturday evening. Races from the Haskell undercard at Monmouth, including several graded stakes, will be shown on TVG.
TVG is also the go-to network for comprehensive coverage of racing at Del Mar. That picturesque seaside Southern California track kicks off its summer meet Friday, July 16 with a racecard that begins at 5 p.m. ET. The featured race on Del Mar’s opening weekend is the San Diego Handicap on Saturday.
On Thursday, July 15, historic Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York opens for business with a 10-race card including two graded stakes, with the first race post time set for 1:05 p.m. ET. The featured race during Saratoga’s opening weekend is the Diana Stakes on Saturday. Fox Sports will provide comprehensive coverage of racing at the Spa from opening day all the way through the meet’s finale on Labor Day, Sept. 6.
“Saratoga Live,” the NYRA-produced show that started in 2016 and has expanded substantially in coverage since then, begins with a broadcast of Thursday’s card at the Spa on FS2. The show will subsequently air each day through Sunday on either FS1 or FS2 – check the below schedule for air times.
As a special highlight of Fox Sports’ Saratoga coverage, the Diana Stakes will be broadcast nationwide on FOX as part of a one-hour show Saturday evening from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. ET.
Live streaming coverage is also plentiful this week, with five programs from America’s Best Racing on the calendar. Don’t miss the premiere of ABR’s new “Saratoga Saturdays” live streaming show this Saturday, July 17, at 9 a.m. ET. The morning show, hosted by Jonathon Kinchen and Anita Marks, will delve deeply into all things Spa-specific and preview the major Saturday races. “Saratoga Saturdays” can be viewed on ABR’s Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube channels as well as Jonathon’s Twitter account and Anita’s Twitter account, and it will air every Saturday through Sept. 4.
On Thursday evening, July 15, a new edition of the popular “La Trifecta” show airs at 8 p.m. ET. Presented en Espanol, the show is hosted by Darwin Vizcaya, Claudia Spadaro, and Annise Montplaisir. It airs on ABR’s Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube channels.
On Friday, July 16, “Always Be Racing” returns for a new show. Hosted by BlackJack Fletcher and Danielle Moinet, the show begins at 3 p.m. ET. “Always Be Racing” can be viewed on ABR’s Facebook and Twitter channels as well as BlackJack’s Twitter account and Danielle’s Twitter account.
Saturday afternoon, ABR presents “Breeders’ Cup LIVE! Road to the Longines Classic.” The ultimate second-screen experience will focus on the Haskell Stakes and be hosted by Dan Tordjman and Ren Hakim Carothers, with special guests including Monmouth Park track announcer Frank Mirahmadi, Monmouth director of marketing Brian Skirka, Samantha Perry, and Vic Stauffer. The show has a tentative start time of 5 p.m. ET and can be viewed on ABR’s Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages and on Breeders’ Cup’s Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages.
ABR’s “The Winner’s Circle” returns for its usual Monday timeslot of 11 a.m. ET with a show on July 19. Presented by NYRA and NYRA Bets and hosted by Bram Weinstein and Dan Tordjman, “The Winner’s Circle” will wrap up the Haskell and the doings at Saratoga and Del Mar and look ahead to important upcoming races. “The Winner’s Circle” can be viewed on ABR’s Facebook and Twitter channels and Bram Weinstein’s Twitter channel. Archived episodes of “The Winner’s Circle” are available as podcasts via Apple and Spotify.
Here’s a rundown of television, live streaming, and radio coverage for the upcoming week:
TV/Live Streaming Schedule
|
Date |
Program |
Time |
Network/Social Media |
|
July 14 |
Live coverage of horse racing |
post time varies |
TVG |
|
July 15 |
“Saratoga Live” |
12:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. |
FS2 |
|
July 15 |
Live coverage of horse racing |
post time varies |
TVG |
|
July 15 |
“La Trifecta” |
8 p.m. |
Facebook and Twitter |
|
July 16 |
“Saratoga Live” |
1 p.m.-6:30 p.m. |
FS2 |
|
July 16 |
“Always Be Racing” |
3 p.m. |
Facebook and Twitter |
|
July 16 |
Live coverage of horse racing |
post time varies |
TVG |
|
July 17 |
“Saratoga Saturdays” |
9 a.m. |
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube |
|
July 17 |
“Saratoga Live” |
1 p.m.-2 p.m. on FS1, 2 p.m.-5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.-7 p.m. on FS2 |
FS1 and FS2 |
|
July 17 |
Broadcast of the TVG.com Haskell Stakes |
5 p.m.-6 p.m. |
NBC |
|
July 17 |
“Breeders’ Cup LIVE! Road to the Longines Classic” |
5 p.m. |
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube |
|
July 17 |
Broadcast of the Diana Stakes |
5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. |
FOX |
|
July 17 |
Live coverage of horse racing |
post time varies |
TVG |
|
July 17 |
Broadcast of the Meadowlands Pace |
8 p.m.-10 p.m. |
FS2 |
|
July 18 |
“Saratoga Live” |
1 p.m.-1:30 p.m. on FS2, 1:30 p.m.-3 p.m. on FS1, 3 p.m.-6:30 p.m. on FS2 |
FS2 and FS1 |
|
July 18 |
Live coverage of horse racing |
post time varies |
TVG |
|
July 19 |
“The Winner’s Circle” |
11 a.m. |
Facebook and Twitter |
|
July 19 |
Live coverage of horse racing |
post time varies |
TVG |
Note: All times listed are Eastern
Radio Schedule
| Date | Program | Time | Network |
| July 14 | At The Races with Steve Byk | 9 a.m. | Thoroughbred Radio Network |
| July 14 | Race Day on HRRN Presented by TwinSpires | 3 p.m. | HRRN |
| July 14 | Trainer Talk Presented by Fasig-Tipton | 6 p.m. | HRRN |
| July 15 | At The Races with Steve Byk | 9 a.m. | Thoroughbred Radio Network |
| July 15 | Race Day on HRRN Presented by TwinSpires | 3 p.m. | HRRN |
| July 15 | Brisnet Call-in Show | 6 p.m. | HRRN |
| July 16 | At The Races with Steve Byk | 9 a.m. | Thoroughbred Radio Network |
| July 16 | Race Day on HRRN Presented by TwinSpires | 3 p.m. | HRRN |
| July 16 | Weekend Stakes Preview Presented by NYRA Bets | 6 p.m. | HRRN |
| July 17 | Equine Forum Show | 8 a.m. | HRRN |
| July 17 | Off to the Races on The Racing Biz Radio Network | 10 a.m. | ESPN 950 AM |
Note: All times listed are Eastern