FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, August 30th, 2018
WOODWARD AND SPINAWAY STAKES THIS SATURDAY LIVE AT 5:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN FROM SARATOGA
Telecast is Part of “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series Win and You’re In – Presented by America’s Best Racing”
NEW YORK (Aug. 30, 2018) – The Saratoga season comes to a close this weekend headlined by the $750,000 Woodward Stakes for horses pointing to the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic and with the $350,000 Spinaway Stakes, which will award the first “Win and You’re In” berth in to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, this Saturday, Sept. 1, live at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Saturday’s 90-minute telecast from Saratoga Springs, N.Y, is part of the “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In – Presented by America’s Best Racing” program.
Saturday’s show is the eighth 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. Complete series TV schedule can be accessed here:http://www.breederscup.com/challenge-series
Randy Moss hosts Saturday’s telecast, and will be joined by Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey, reporter Jay Privman and Daily Racing Form Handicapper Matt Bernier.
Horse Racing Radio Network (HRRN) also will broadcast the Woodward and Spinaway live from 5:30-7:00 p.m. ET on SiriusXM 93 and streaming at www.horseracingradio.net.
The Woodward, run at 1 1/8 miles for 3-year-olds and up is led by Margoth’s popular stretch-runner Gunnevera, second in the Travers last year for trainer Antonio Sano and third in Gulfstream Park’s Pegasus World Cup in January. The 4-year-old son of Dialed In is 6-for-17 lifetime, which includes a fifth-place finish in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar, and enters off a confidence building allowance win at Gulfstream August 10.
Dennis Drazin’s Sunny Ridge should get plenty of support for trainer Jason Servis. The 5-year-old son of Holy Bull is 6-for-18 lifetime and a multiple graded stakes winner, and was last seen winning the State Dinner July 6 at Belmont Park. Chuck Fipke’s Seeking the Soul won Churchill Downs’ Clark in November but is winless in two starts this year, including a fifth in the Pegasus. The wildcard in the Woodward is WinStar Farm, China Horse Club International and Head of Plains Partners’ Yoshida (JPN), who won the Turf Classic (GI) at Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Derby undercard and was a close fifth in the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot in June, but has never run on dirt before. The 4-year-old son of Heart’s Cry (JPN) was a disappointing fifth in the Fourstardave at Saratoga on August 11 for trainer Bill Mott.
The Spinaway, run at seven furlongs, is expected to clarify an otherwise muddled East Coast 2-year-old filly division, though it’s a filly from the West Coast who will likely be favored, as Summer Wind Equine’s Chasing Yesterday, a half-sister to 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, will ship in for trainer Bob Baffert. The daughter of Tapit won her debut at Del Mar July 28 by 4 ¼ lengths.
Three Chimneys Farm and Fern Circle Stable’s undefeated Restless Rider, who wowed onlookers when last seen winning Churchill Downs’ Debutante by 11 ¼ lengths June 30, will post a stiff challenge. Kenny McPeek trains the daughter of Distorted Humor, who won her debut at Churchill June 8. John Oxley’s local Schuylerville (GIII) winner Catherine the Great, won the Opening Day feature at Saratoga for trainer Mark Casse and is 2-for-3 lifetime, while St. Elias Stable and MeB Racing’s VIrginia Eloise was a fast-closing second in the local Adirondack (GII) August 11 for trainer Todd Pletcher.
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.
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