FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, July 26th, 2018
GOOD MAGIC LEADS HASKELL INVITATIONAL FROM MONMOUTH PARK AS BREEDERS’ CUP CHALLENGE SERIES CONTINUES THIS SUNDAY LIVE AT 5 PM ET ON NBC
Telecast is Part of the “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In, Presented by America’s Best Racing”
NEW YORK (July 26, 2018) – Led by Good Magic, last year’s Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner and 2-year-old Champion, a talented group of seven 3-year-olds are set for a shot at an automatic berth into the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) in the 1 1/8 mile, $1 million Haskell Invitational this Sunday, June 29 at 5:00 p.m. ET on the live NBC broadcast from Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J. The one-hour program is a part of the “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In – Presented by America’s Best Racing.”
Sunday’s show is the fourth of 11 telecasts in the “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In, presented by America’s Best Racing,” on NBC and NBCSN, featuring 17 “Win and You’re In” races plus other major stakes on the road to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships on NBC and NBCSN from some of America’s most iconic racetracks. The series leads to the 35th Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Churchill Downs Nov. 2-3 on NBC and NBCSN. The complete Challenge series TV schedule can be accessed here: http://www.breederscup.com/challenge-series/tv-schedule
NBC’s coverage of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series on Sunday will be hosted by Laffit Pincay III, who will be joined by analysts Randy Moss and Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey, as well as handicapper Eddie Olczyk and reporter Nick Luck.
Good Magic, owned by e Five Thoroughbreds and Stonestreet Stables and trained by Chad Brown, will be making his fifth start of the year. A son of 2007 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner and two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, who won the Classic at Monmouth Park, Good Magic is the solid 6-5 favorite in the Haskell. Good Magic has not raced since finishing fourth in the Preakness Stakes on May 19, while chasing eventual Triple Crown winner Justify for most of the way. Good Magic won the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland in April and then finished a strong second to Justify in the Kentucky Derby.
The 3-1 second choice on the morning line is Calumet Farm’s Bravazo, trained by D. Wayne Lukas. Bravazo and Justify were the only horses to compete in all three legs of the Triple Crown. Following a sixth-place finish in the Derby, Bravazo was a fast-closing second behind Justify in the Preakness. He finished sixth in the Belmont Stakes.
Trainer Peter Eurton has entered the California-based Core Beliefs, the 4-1 third choice. Core Beliefs finished third in the Santa Anita Derby, second in the Peter Pan at Belmont Park and won the Ohio Derby at Thistledown on June 23.
The Haskell field from the rail out with jockey assignments and morning line odds is as follows:
Lone Sailor (Joe Bravo) 5-1; Navy Commander (Angel Arroyo) 12-1; Roaming Union (Albin Jimenez) 10-1; Core Beliefs (Flavian Prat) 4-1; Bravazo (Luis Saez) 3-1; Good Magic (Jose Ortiz) 6-5 and Golden Brown (Jairo Rendon) 15-1.
Fans can also get in on the excitement of the Haskell Invitational by playing The $100,000 Capture the Classic Challenge where participants have the chance to predict the winners of the remaining designated Classic Division Races televised live on NBC or NBCSN – the Haskell Invitational, Travers Stakes and Awesome Again Stakes – for an opportunity to become a virtual owner of each winning horse. By properly selecting the winning horse of one of these Classic Division races virtual owners will receive insider access to premium content about their horse(s), such as behind-the-scenes videos and in-depth profiles, as well as a chance to win a $100,000 grand prize should their horse go on to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs on November 3.
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 2018 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 races (13 Grade 1 events) with purses and awards totaling more than $30 million, will be held November 2-3 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., 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.
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 NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, NBCSN, Golf Channel, 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, PGA TOUR, The R&A, PGA of America, Churchill Downs, NYRA, Breeders’ Cup, Premier League, INDYCAR, Rugby World Cup, Six Nations Championship, Tour de France, French Open, and many more.
No purchase necessary – 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.
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