FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, September 1st, 2016
FROSTED HEADLINES WOODWARD STAKES FROM SARATOGA THIS SATURDAY LIVE AT 5 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
Woodward Stakes Part of “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series Win And You’re In – Presented By Lane’s End Farm And America’s Best Racing”
STAMFORD, Conn. – September 1, 2016 – Godolphin Stable’s Frosted, the leading east coast Classic Division horse this year, leads a field of nine horses for the $600,000 Woodward this Saturday, Sept. 3, at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., for the live telecast of the “Summer at Saratoga, Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series Win and Your In – Presented by Lane’s End Farm and America’s Best Racing.”
Saturday’s one-hour program is the sixth of nine telecasts in the “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In, presented by Lane’s End Farm and America’s Best Racing,” on NBC and NBCSN, featuring 16 “Win And You’re In” races plus other major stakes on the road to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, November 4-5 at Santa Anita Park, and televised by NBC Sports Group. Saturday’s show will also be streamed live on NBCSports.com and NBC Sports app. Winners of these Challenge races, which combined offer more than $10 million in purses, automatically qualify for a spot in the Breeders’ Cup.
Saturday’s show will also include the Spinaway Stakes for 2-year-old fillies, the first “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the $2 million 14 Hands Winery Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies this year.
Laffit Pincay III hosts live coverage from Saratoga, and will be joined by analysts/handicappers Bob Neumeier and Eddie Olczyk, and reporter Donna Brothers. Daily Racing Form’s Matt Bernier will also serve as a handicapper, and Larry Collmus calls the race.
Godolphin Stable’s Frosted, the undisputed leader of the East Coast’s Classic division secured a berth into the Breeders’ Cup Classic with his win in the local “Win and You’re In” Whitney (GI) August 6. While the 1 1/8 mile Woodward is not a “Win and You’re In’ for this year’s Classic, Frosted’s connections will look to double up by scoring wins in Saratoga’s two major races for older horses. The 4-year-old son of Tapit has been simply stunning in his last two starts for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, as he earned an automatic starting berth into the Las Vegas Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile with a 14 ¼-length win in Belmont Park’s “Win and You’re In” Metropolitan Handicap (GI) in June. Frosted is 6-for-17 lifetime and looms an odds-on favorite in the Woodward. Frosted will be ridden by Joel Rosario.
McLaughlin will also start the 4-year-old Mubtaahij, ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr. The son of Dubawi (IRE), was third in the Suburban Handicap at Belmont in July and was second to California Chrome in the Dubai World Cup in March.
Joseph Sutton’s Bradester will supply plenty of pace and, like Frosted, earned a berth into the Classic when he went wire-to-wire in Churchill Downs’ “Win and You’re In” Stephen Foster in June for trainer Eddie Kenneally. The 6-year-old son of Lion Heart prepped for the Woodward with a win in the Monmouth Cup (GII) July 31.
The Spinaway, run at seven furlongs, drew seven horses, with St. Elias Stable’s Sweet Loretta looming a short-priced favorite for trainer Todd Pletcher. The daughter of Tapit rallied boldly from off the pace to win the July 22 Opening Day featured Schuylerville (GIII) by a widening 4 ¼ lengths, a month after winning her debut by 7 lengths at Monmouth Park June 18.
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 2016 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, consisting of 13 (grade I) races and purses totalling $28 million, will be held Nov. 4-5 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 Web site, www.breederscup.com. You can also follow the Breeders’ Cup on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, InstaGram and YouTube
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, Royal & Ancient, Churchill Downs, NYRA, Breeders’ Cup, Premier League, Tour de France, French Open, Formula One, IndyCar and many more.
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