FOX Sports to Air Saratoga Races
Image:
Description:
Photo: Skip Dickstein
Saratoga races will get more television exposure this year
The New York Racing Association and FOX Sports have announced a multi-year agreement to telecast NYRA racing live from Saratoga Race Course beginning this season on the FS2 national sports channel. The 40-day Saratoga meet starts July 22 and concludes Sept. 5 with racing conducted six days a week, Wednesdays through Mondays.
All NYRA races broadcast by FOX Sports will stream live on the FOX Sports GO app and FOXSports.com, according to the announcement by Michael Mulvihill, senior vice president, programming and research at FOX Sports, and Tony Allevato, NYRA executive producer and president of NYRA Bets.
With more than 80 hours of live racing coverage, the agreement represents the most extensive horse racing television deal in history, NYRA and FOX Sports said in a June 9 release. “This summer, NYRA broadcasts on FS2 will amount to more programming hours of horse racing than all other television networks in the United States combined,” the release said.
More than 40 stakes will air during the seven-week period.
"NYRA and its legendary Saratoga Race Course represent the very best in Thoroughbred racing." Mulvihill said. "We are thrilled to bring daily coverage of NYRA to a national audience on one of television's fastest growing networks, FS2."
"The opportunity for horse racing to be featured on national television in such a consistent manner is unprecedented," Allevato said. "NYRA proudly looks forward to partnering with FOX Sports to present live coverage of the sport's best racing live from Saratoga Race Course."
Coinciding with FOX Sports' coverage of Saratoga will the launch of NYRA's new national advance deposit wagering platform, NYRA Bets, which will enable viewers across the country to wager on New York racing. NYRA Bets will soon take the place of NYRA Rewards, which was restricted to New York state residents.
Featuring analysis of the races from NYRA TV analysts Jason Blewitt, retired jockey Richard Migliore, and handicapper Andy Serling, as well as paddock analysis from Maggie Wolfendale, “Saratoga Live” will debut on FS2 July 22 at 4 p.m. EDT with coverage of Saratoga's opening day and the grade III Schuylerville Stakes.