Horse racing fans will tell you that Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York is one of the best places to watch a race. Well, NBC Sports Group must feel the same way. It has signed a deal to air an 8 hour, 7 weekend series that will air on both NBC and Versus. The majority of programs will air on Versus with NBC taking three races. The races include some of the most famous on the horse racing calendar including the Whitney, the Travers Stakes and the Woodward.
We have the press release from the NBC Sports Group as well as the schedule that lasts from late July through Labor Day weekend.
NBC SPORTS GROUP PRESENTS “SUMMER AT SARATOGA” SERIES
8 Hours of LIVE Coverage Over 7 Weekends from Saratoga Begins July 23 on NBC
VERSUS Presents 5 Hour-Long Shows; NBC to Broadcast 3 Shows Including Famed Travers Stakes on August 27NEW YORK – May 12, 2011 – The New York Racing Association (NYRA) and the NBC Sports Group today announced a partnership to broadcast “Summer at Saratoga,” live racing from Saratoga Springs, N.Y., over seven weekends this summer beginning on July 23 and including the famed $1 million Travers Stakes on August 27. The announcement was made by C. Steven Duncker, NYRA Chairman and Jon Miller, President, Programming, NBC Sports and VERSUS. This agreement marks the most extensive live national television coverage of racing from Saratoga Race Course.
“This is a unique opportunity to expand our coverage of thoroughbred racing with these great races from Saratoga, a truly iconic venue,” said Miller. “This partnership with NYRA cements the NBC Sports Group’s commitment to the sport which already includes long-term deals for the Triple Crown with Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby, in addition to the Preakness and Belmont.”
“We are elated to partner with the NBC Sports Group for this landmark agreement,” said Duncker. “Year after year, Saratoga Race Course is synonymous with the best thoroughbred racing in the country, and the NBC Sports Group is the perfect family of networks to bring this experience to a national audience. By first uniting the Triple Crown races, and now covering the Saratoga meet in a manner never done before, NBC has demonstrated an incredible commitment to thoroughbred racing and we are proud to be a part of their team.”
NBC SPORTS GROUP SUMMER AT SARATOGA COVERAGE (All Times ET)
July 23, Coaching Club American Oaks, 5-6 p.m., NBC
July 30, Diana, 5-6 p.m., VERSUS
Aug. 6, Whitney, 5-6 p.m., VERSUS
Aug. 7, Vanderbilt, 5-6 p.m., VERSUS
Aug. 13, Sword Dancer, 5-6 p.m., VERSUS
Aug. 20, Alabama, 5-6 p.m., NBC
Aug. 27, Travers, 5-6 p.m., NBC
Sept. 3, Woodward, 5-6 p.m., VERSUSSaratoga Race Course was named one of the world’s greatest sporting venues by Sports Illustrated. From late July through Labor Day, many of the sport’s top owners, trainers, jockeys, and horses gather in Saratoga Springs for the premier thoroughbred racing meet in the country. First held in 1863, the Saratoga meet now draws more than 20,000 passionate racing fans to the track on a daily basis.
NBC SPORTS AND HORSE RACING: The NBC Sports Group is the exclusive home to Horse Racing’s Triple Crown. This marks the first time that all three races will be on one network since NBC last aired the Triple Crown in 2005. NBC has been the exclusive home of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes since 2001.
That’s it for now.
