FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, August 6th, 2015
2014 BELMONT WINNER TONALIST & HONOR CODE HEADLINE WHITNEY THIS SATURDAY, LIVE AT 5 PM ET ON NBC
The “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win And You’re In – Presented By Lane’s End Farm” Race Will Broadcast From Saratoga Race Course
NEW YORK (August 6, 2015) – Led by 2014 Belmont Stakes winner Tonalist and Metropolitan Handicap winner Honor Code, an outstanding field of 10 horses has been entered for the $1.2 million Whitney at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., broadcast live on NBC at 5 p.m. ET as a part of the “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In – Presented by Lane’s End Farm.”
The Whitney, run at 1 1/8 miles for 3-year-olds and up, will award the winner an automatic berth into the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic. Saturday’s show is the fifth of 10 telecasts under the “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Win and You’re In Series – Presented by Lane’s End” banner of automatic qualifying races leading into the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Oct. 30-Oct. 31, which will be televised live on NBCSN and NBC from Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky. Saturday’s show will also include live coverage of the $500,000 Longines Test Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs.
Tom Hammond hosts live coverage from Saratoga, joined by analysts Randy Moss and Jerry Bailey, the Hall of Fame jockey and five-time Breeders’ Cup Classic winner, reporters Donna Brothers and Kenny Rice, analysts/handicappers Eddie Olczyk and Bob Neumeier. Daily Racing Form’s Matt Bernier will also serve as handicapper.
Last year’s Belmont Stakes winner, Robert Evans’ Tonalist, is the 4-1 second choice for trainer Christophe Clement. The 4-year-old son of Tapit, who upset California Chrome’s Triple Crown bid by winning last year’s Belmont, also won the Jockey Club Gold Cup and finished 2014 with a fifth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park. This year, Tonalist returned with a solid win in the Westchester and a tough runner-up finish in the Met Mile.
Lane’s End Racing and Dell Ridge Farm’s 5-year-old Honor Code was the winner of the Met Mile on Belmont Stakes day and the victory earned him a Breeders’ Cup Challenge berth into the Dirt Mile. Trained by Shug McGaughey, Honor Code, the 3-1 morning line favorite, will attempt to win his first two-turn race in the Whitney. He will be ridden by Javier Castellano.
The field also includes two stars from trainer Jimmy Jerkens in last year’s Travers Stakes winner V. E. Day, and the Travers’ runner up Wicked Strong. V.E. Day was third, beaten 3 ½ lengths, in the Grade 3 Fort Marcy to open 2015 off a six-month layoff. Wicked Strong won last year’s Jim Dandy at Saratoga.
As an added element to the racing action, fans can also get into the excitement of the Whitney, which offers them the chance to correctly select the exact order of finish of the race and win a trip the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. The game is free to enter and play, and fans can register and submit their picks for each race online at: http://www.milliondollarfinish.com/. The fantasy player with the highest score for each designated race will win a once-in-a-lifetime VIP trip for two to the sold-out 2015 Breeders’ Cup. Along with the 10 chances to win during the Challenge Series, fans can enter for a shot at the ultimate prize of $1 million during the Breeders’ Cup World Championships by predicting the correct order for the top 10 finishers in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic, which will air on Saturday, October 31 on NBC.
ABOUT NBC SPORTS GROUP
When the Comcast-NBCUniversal transaction was completed in January 2011, the sports assets of the two companies combined to form NBC Sports Group, which serves sports fans 24/7 with premier live events, insightful studio shows, and compelling original programming. The sports media company consists of a unique array of sports assets, including NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, NBCSN (NBC Sports Network), Golf Channel, 10 NBC Sports Regional Networks, NBC Sports Radio and NBC Sports Digital. 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, PGA TOUR, PGA of America, Churchill Downs, New York Racing Association, Breeders’ Cup, Premier League, Tour de France, French Open, Formula One, IndyCar and many more.
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 2015 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, consisting of 13 grade I races and purses totaling $26 million, will be held October 30-Oct. 31 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., and will be televised live by the NBC Sports Group. 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 and YouTube
No purchase necessary to enter or win. The Promotion registration period begins on or about April 28, 2015 at 12:01 a.m. ET and ends on October 31, 2015 at 5:40 p.m. ET. Promotion is open only to legal residents of the 50 United States & D.C., who are 18 years of age or older. See Official Rules at www.MillionDollarFinish.com/rules for exact registration times for each race, additional eligibility restrictions, prize descriptions/restrictions/ARVs and complete details. Void where prohibited. PROMOTION IS DEVISED AS A NON-GAMBLING PROMOTION and is intended solely for entertainment purposes. Promotion is sponsored by Breeders’ Cup Limited. Breeders’ Cup Limited is the sole sponsor of the Promotion. NBC Sports and NBCUniversal Media, LLC are not sponsors of the Promotion and are not associated with the administration of the Promotion in any way. Entrants are providing information to sponsors and not to NBC Sports and NBCUniversal Media, LLC.
–NBC SPORTS GROUP–
