March, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

FOX Sports Extends NYRA Media Rights Through 2030, Acquires Stake In NYRA Bets

FOX Sports, a unit of Fox Corporation (Nasdaq: FOXA, FOX), and the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced Thursday an expanded partnership agreement that establishes FOX Sports as the official wagering partner of NYRA Bets and the leading media provider for elite thoroughbred racing through the next decade.

The prior FOX Sports/NYRA media rights agreement provided a FOX Sports subsidiary with an option to acquire a 25% stake in NYRA Bets, LLC (NYRA Bets), a leading Advance Deposit Wagering (ADW) platform launched in 2016 and available to customers in 30 states across the country. The FOX Sports subsidiary will exercise this option by the summer of 2021, pending final regulatory approval.

The newly announced agreement provides a FOX Sports subsidiary with a future opportunity to increase its equity interest in NYRA Bets.

As an unprecedented year interrupted live sports around the world, horse racing operated safely and continuously. NYRA Bets achieved record growth in 2020, as new fans engaged with horse racing by watching an unparalleled amount of coverage across FOX Sports' family of networks. Driven by a dramatic expansion in this live television coverage, NYRA Bets generated $225 million in wagering handle in 2020, a more than 100% increase compared to 2019.

“The remarkably rapid expansion of NYRA Bets, and the digital ADW wagering marketplace, make this an ideal opportunity for FOX Sports to deepen and broaden its investment in both premier media rights and the high-growth sports wagering industry. With our investment options in NYRA Bets, FOX is now uniquely positioned as the only media company with strategic stakes in digital bet-taking businesses in horse racing, sports betting, poker and casino gaming,” said Michael Mulvihill, FOX Sports' Executive Vice President, Head of Strategy and Analytics. “We're confident that our television partnership with NYRA will fuel continued growth for NYRA Bets in the years ahead ”

Dave O'Rourke, President and CEO, NYRA, underscored the importance of its partnership with FOX Sports to the sport in New York as well as across the country.

“FOX Sports has shown an unwavering commitment to the sport of horse racing over the past five years,” said O'Rourke. “The strength of our partnership with FOX Sports, and the continued expansion of our high-quality telecasts, has proven to be hugely beneficial for the New York racing community and the sport as a whole.”

The new agreement will extend FOX Sports' television rights with NYRA through 2030 and further expand exclusivity for daily racing at Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course.

Under the new deal, FOX Sports expects to air at least 700 hours of coverage each year from Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course and, outside of prior commitments, gives the network exclusive national broadcast rights at Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course through 2030. NYRA will serve as the production arm for all horse racing events during the term of the partnership.

NYRA and FOX Sports began their collaboration during the first season of Saratoga Live during the 2016 summer meet at historic Saratoga Race Course. The critically acclaimed show, broadcast daily from the grounds of Saratoga, aired 80 hours of live coverage on FS2 and coincided with the national launch of NYRA Bets. Since then, total coverage has grown to more than 700 hours in 2020. The NYRA Bets wagering handle has also grown – from $7.2 million in 2016 to over $225 million in 2020. Wagering through national ADW outlets increased 115% during that same period. Along with Saratoga Live, FOX Sports' NYRA television portfolio includes America's Day At The Races, airing in the spring, summer, fall and select dates throughout the winter racing season.

FOX Sports became the national television home for NYRA's Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course coverage in 2019. That same year, the brand furthered its commitment to horse racing by televising the Runhappy Travers to a national audience on the FOX broadcast network (FOX) for the first time in network history. Following a successful presentation in 2019, the Travers returned to FOX in 2020.

First held in 1864, the Travers is the most prestigious stakes race for 3-year-olds outside of the Triple Crown series and the traditional centerpiece of the annual 40-day summer meet at Saratoga Race Course. The race is named for William R. Travers, the first president of Saratoga Race Course who won the inaugural running in 1864 with a horse named Kentucky.

The new FOX Sports/NYRA agreement ensures that the Travers will air LIVE on FOX through 2030.

“NYRA is delighted to extend our relationship with FOX Sports,” said Tony Allevato, President, NYRA Bets. “We look forward to continuing to work closely with the FOX Sports team over the next decade to grow NYRA Bets while continuing to present the very best in horse racing coverage to more sports fans than ever before.”

The agreement does not include the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival and the Belmont Stakes.

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America’s Day At The Races Telecast Features Pair Of Kentucky Derby Preps

America's Day at the Races, the acclaimed national telecast produced by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) in partnership with FOX Sports, will air coverage both Saturday and Sunday showcasing stakes action from Aqueduct Racetrack, Oaklawn Park, Turfway Park and Gulfstream Park.

Presented by America's Best Racing and Claiborne Farm, America's Day at the Races will broadcast Saturday from 2:30-7:30 p.m. Eastern, with coverage for the first half hour on FS2 before shifting to FS1 from 3-4:30 p.m. FS2 will pick up coverage from 4:30-7:30 p.m.

Saturday's broadcast will air stakes action from all four tracks, led by the Grade 1, $750,000 Florida Derby in Race 14 at 6:40 p.m. as one of 10 stakes on Gulfstream's program. The Kentucky Derby prep race, offering 100-40-20-10 qualifying points to the top-four finishers, will see Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert send out Spielberg, the 4-1 second choice on the morning line. The Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity winner is second coming off a runner-up effort to reigning juvenile champion Essential Quality in the Grade 3 Southwest at Oaklawn Park. Greatest Honour was installed as the 6-5 morning-line favorite, entering off wins in the Grade 3 Holy Bull and Grade 2 Fountain of Youth in his last two starts.

Other Gulfstream stakes on the broadcast include the Grade 2, $200,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks in Race 12 at 5:17 p.m. Trainer Kenny McPeek will try to win the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks qualifier [100-40-20-10 points] for the second straight year, looking to follow Swiss Skydiver's 2020 win by sending out Crazy Beautiful for the 1 1/16-mile contest.

Aqueduct will have six of its 10 total stakes shown on the broadcast, highlighting NYRA's New York Claiming Championship series that offers a total of $620,000 in purses. The New York Claiming Championship is open to horses which have started for a prescribed claiming price in 2020-21. The series, each named after some of the most popular claiming horses to run at the Big A, features races at distances ranging from six furlongs to 1 3/8 miles.

The Big A televised stakes will start with the $55,000 Kelly Kip for 4-year-olds and up going six furlongs in Race 4 at 2:50 p.m. Following in order will be the $45,000 Belle Gallantey for older fillies and mares going seven furlongs in Race 5 at 3:20 p.m., the $70,000 Peeping Tom for 4-year-olds and up at 6 1/2 furlongs in Race 6 at 3:52 p.m., the $60,000 More To Tell for older horses going a one-turn mile in Race 7 at 4:24 p.m., the $60,000 Sis City for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up at one mile in Race 8 at 5 p.m., the $75,000 Stud Muffin for older horses competing at a marathon 1 3/8 miles in Race 9 at 5:34 p.m., and the $45,000 Dads Caps in the 10th-race finale for 4-year-olds and up going seven furlongs at 6:10 p.m.

Turfway Park will have three consecutive stakes broadcast, starting with the $150,000 Kentucky Cup Classic for 4-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles in Race 9 at 5:10 p.m. Race 10 will offer up the $150,000 Bourbonette Oaks for sophomore fillies going one mile at 5:45 p.m.

Stakes action at the track will conclude with the Grade 3, $250,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks, also a 100-40-20-10 Kentucky Derby qualifier. Hush of a Storm, the winner of the John Battaglia Memorial, is 3-for-3 over the Tapeta track at Turfway. Gretzky the Great, the Nyquist colt, is a Grade 1 winner, having captured the Summer for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse.

Oaklawn will see nine Arkansas-bred 3-year-olds and up going six furlongs in the $150,000 Nodouble Breeders' in Race 10 at 5:52 p.m.

As an additional programing note, live coverage of the Group 1, $12 million Dubai World Cup airs Saturday at noon Eastern on FS1. The field for the 25th renewal of the Dubai World Cup is headlined by multiple graded stakes winner Mystic Guide and will include a collection of standout runners from around the world.

Coverage of the Dubai World Cup undercard, featuring six stakes races, will air live from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on FS1. The 'Golden Hour' telecast, featuring live coverage of the Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic and Group 1 Dubai World Cup, will air from noon-1 p.m., Eastern on FS1. Coverage of the Dubai World Cup card on FS1 is presented by Star Guitar.

Sunday's coverage will run from 1:30-6 p.m. on FS2, highlighted by Aqueduct's $100,000 Haynesfield for New York-bred 4-year-olds and up going a one-turn mile.

America's Day at the Races is also broadcast on NYRA's YouTube channel which boasts more than 65,000 subscribers. Fans can subscribe to NYRA's channel and set a reminder to watch the show on YouTube Live. NYRA's YouTube channel also hosts a plethora of race replays, special features, America's Day at the Races replays and more.

Free Equibase-provided past performances are available for races that are part of the America's Day at the Races broadcast and can be accessed at https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the winter meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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Saturday’s Cross Country Pick 5 Features Races From Aqueduct, Turfway Park

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will host a stakes-laden edition of the Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday featuring racing action from Aqueduct Racetrack and Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky.

Live coverage will be available with America's Day at the Races on FOX Sports. Free Equibase past performances for the Cross Country Pick 5 sequence are now available for download at https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/cross-country-wagers.

Opening the action-packed sequence is the $150,000 Kentucky Cup Classic at Turfway Park [Race 9, 5:10 p.m. Eastern] for 4-year-olds and upward going nine furlongs on the all-weather surface. Juddmonte Farm's Set Piece boasts a perfect record in two starts over the northern Kentucky oval. The Brad Cox-trained son of Dansili won his last Turfway start over Grade 1-placed Signalman in the Prairie Bayou on New Year's Eve. Breaking just to his inside from the rail is dual graded stakes winner Skywire for Hall of Famer Mark Casse. The Gary Barber and Lucio Tucci-owned son of Afleet Alex won last year's Eclipse and Autumn, both Grade 2, on Tapeta at Woodbine Racetrack and seeks to rebound after finishing seventh last out in the Prairie Bayou beaten 8 ½ lengths to Set Piece.

The Big A hosts the second leg where a dozen older horses will assemble for the $75,000 Stud Muffin, a 1 3/8-mile starter stakes. Trainer Rob Atras will saddle Michael Dubb's multiple stakes placed Musical Heart, who arrives off a sharp third-place effort to Mr. Buff in the Stymie on February 27. The son of Maclean's Music has finished on the board in his last seven starts. Carded as Race 9 on New York Claiming Championship Day at Aqueduct, the Stud Muffin has a scheduled post time of 5:34 p.m.

Action returns to Turfway for the middle leg where ten sophomore fillies chase Kentucky Oaks points in the $150,000 Bourbonette Oaks [Race 10, 5:45 p.m.] at a two-turn mile. The 20-8-4-2 Oaks qualifier features Susan Moulton's Oliviaofthedesert, who won the Trapeze at Remington Park two starts back for trainer Kenny McPeek. The gray or roan daughter of Bernardini is the lone horse in the field with a six-figure earning mark with a bankroll of $196,822. Hartwell Farm and SF Racing's Wait for Nairobi will defend her home territory after notching a stakes win in the Cincinnati Trophy at Turfway. The Rey Hernandez-trained Carpe Diem filly boasts a consistent 3-2-0-1 over all-weather surfaces.

The penultimate leg is the $45,000 Dads Caps, a starter stakes for older horses going seven furlongs in Race 9 at 6:10 p.m. at the Big A led by A. Bianco Holding's Skyler's Scramjet, who will look to build off a February 27 triumph over a sloppy track. Trained by A.C. Avila, the 7-year-old Creative Cause gray or roan gelding won the Grade 3 Tom Fool in 2018 and boasts the highest bankroll in the field with over a half-million in lifetime earnings. Also arriving off a win is Irving Rodriguez's Town Jak, who ships from Parx Racing for trainer Alan Bedard. The six-time winner has finished in the money in his last dozen starts, the most recent of which was a half-length victory on March 16 at Parx, where he defeated starter allowance company.

Concluding the stakes-filled Cross Country Pick 5 is the Grade 3, $250,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park. The 100-40-20-10 Kentucky Derby qualifier has produced winners of the 'Run for the Roses' in Lil E. Tee [1992] and Animal Kingdom [2011]. This year, the nine-furlong event features Grade 1-winner Gretzky the Great for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse and owners Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber. The bay son of second crop sire Nyquist broke his maiden over the Woodbine Tapeta before taking the Grade 1 Summer over grass at the Toronto oval. Trainer William Morey will saddle New York-bred Hush of a Storm, who seeks back-to-back stakes wins after taking the John Battaglia Memorial on February 26 last out. The Jeff Ruby Steaks is carded as Race 11 on Turfway's program with a 6:25 p.m. post.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available on ADW platforms and at simulcast facilities across the country. Every week will feature a mandatory payout of the net pool. The Cross Country Pick 5 will continue each Saturday throughout the year. For more information, visit NYRABets.com.

Cross Country Pick 5 – Saturday March 27:
Leg A: Turfway Park – Race 9, Kentucky Cup Classic (5:10 p.m.)
Leg B: Aqueduct – Race 8, Stud Muffin (5:34 p.m.)
Leg C: Turfway Park – Race 10, Bourbonette Oaks (5:45 p.m.)
Leg D: Aqueduct – Race 9, Dads Caps (6:10 p.m.)
Leg E: Turfway Park – Race 11, G3 Jeff Ruby Steaks (6:25 p.m.)

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Best Bets: Stakes Spotlight at Turfway, Gulfstream Park

America’s Best Racing, Belle Premium American Vodka, and handicapper (and avid gambler) Monique Vág team up to provide horseplayers with their best bets of the weekend. Vág will identify her top picks as well as at least one longshot play of the weekend, a nice opportunity to swing for the fences on a win bet or to take a shot with a show bet. She also will occasionally look for strong exacta plays for the weekend or try to spot a nice opportunity for other wagers.