The Road to the Triple Crown presented by Spendthrift will feature three premier Kentucky Derby prep races this weekend live on TVG – the $750,000 Wood Memorial (G2) from Aqueduct, the $1 million Blue Grass Stakes (G1) from Keeneland and the $1 million Santa Anita Derby (G1) from Santa Anita.
TVG will be live on site for every race, every day of the season as Keeneland begins the Spring Meet and the award-winning network will bring enhanced, innovative technology to the broadcast including a Jockey Cam, Cable Cam and behind-the-scenes access with the participants. Todd Schrupp, Caleb Keller, Joaquin Jaime, Christina Blacker, Scott Hazelton, Gabby Gaudet, Caton Bredar along with Andie Biancone contributing to the broadcast on horseback will be live from Keeneland with insights, exclusive interviews and expert selections throughout the season which runs from Friday, April 8 through Friday, April 29.
The featured race on Friday is the $600,000 Ashland Stakes (G1) with a field of eight sophomore fillies. The race is a key prep race for the Kentucky Oaks (G1). Nest has been installed as the morning line favorite at odds of 2-1 for trainer Todd Pletcher. A daughter of Curlin, the bay filly was purchased for $350,000 as a yearling at Keeneland and has won three of her four lifetime starts. Irad Ortiz, Jr. will be in the irons.
Saturday's $1 million Blue Grass Stakes (G1), one of five graded stakes races on the card, will have 100-40-20-10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points available and has drawn a field of twelve Triple Crown hopefuls including El Camino Real Derby winner Blackladder for trainer Rodolphe Brisset. His rivals include Ethereal Road, the runner-up in the Rebel Stakes (G2) for D. Wayne Lukas as graded stakes winning juvenile Smile Happy for trainer Ken McPeek.
Kentucky Derby points are on the line in the Santa Anita Derby and TVG's Simon Bray, Dave Weaver, Mike Joyce, Ken Rudulph, Kurt Hoover and Larry Collmus will be covering the action from Santa Anita. Forbidden Kingdom will square off against a field of five rivals including graded stakes winner Messier as he tries to stamp his ticket to the Run for the Roses. Forbidden Kingdom, owned by My Racehorse and Spendthrift Farm, was last seen winning the San Felipe Stakes (G2) for trainer Richard Mandella. The son of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah will have Juan Hernandez aboard.
Fans of international racing can tune in for coverage of Day 2 of the Championships at Royal Randwick on Friday night with experts Adam McGrath and Jason Witham providing on-site coverage. There will also be coverage of the Aintree Festival in England featuring the Grand National on Saturday.
On Sunday, TVG, the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA), Keeneland and Santa Anita will team with Hall of Fame jockeys who are members of the Jockeys' Guild and other prominent racing personalities to raise money for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF) for the fourth annual telethon to raise money for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF). The event will be broadcast live from 12:00 to 6:00 p.m. ET.
In addition to racing from Keeneland, Santa Anita and Aqueduct, TVG will be featuring racing from Gulfstream, Oaklawn and more. Fans can tune in on TVG, TVG2 and the Watch TVG app which is available on Amazon Fire, Roku and connected Apple TV devices.
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