Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., home to the 2020 Breeders' Cup World Championships, will be the site of automatic qualifying races into the Championships on Friday, Oct. 2, airing on NBCSN from 5-6 p.m. ET, and again on Sunday, Oct. 4, on NBCSN from 4:30-6 p.m. ET. Centered in between the Keeneland telecasts will be NBC's live broadcast of the Preakness Stakes (G1) on Saturday, Oct. 3 beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET from Baltimore, which provides the winner with an automatic berth into the $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1).
The Friday and Sunday telecasts, produced in association with TVG, mark the ninth and 10th programs this year in the “Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In – presented by America's Best Racing” on NBC and NBCSN from some of North America's most iconic racetracks. The series leads to the 37th Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keeneland, scheduled for Nov. 6-7 and airing on NBC and NBCSN. The complete series TV schedule can be accessed here.
Reporting and commentary for both telecasts will be provided from Keeneland by TVG's Todd Schrupp, Matt Bernier, Gabby Gaudet, Caton Bredar and Caleb Keller. Simon Bray will be providing commentary from home.
Horse Racing Radio Network (HRRN) also will provide live coverage of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races from Keeneland on Friday, from 5-6 p.m. ET, and on Sunday, also from 5-6 p.m., on Sirius 219/XM 201 and on the HRRN website, Horseracingradio.net. HRRN also will broadcast Saturday's Preakness from 4-6 p.m. ET.
On Friday, the 1 1/16-mile, $350,000 Darley Alcibiades (G1), which awards an automatic berth into the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), and the 6-furlong, $200,000 Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix (G2), with the winner gaining an automatic starting position into the $2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), will be the featured “Win and You're In” races.
The Darley Alcibiades is led by Heider Family Stables' Thoughtfully, winner of the Adirondack Stakes (G2) at Saratoga, and Phoenix Thoroughbred's Crazy Beautiful, who finished second last time out in the “Win and You're In” Pocahontas Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs.
The Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes is led by Robert LaPenta, Ron Moquett and Head of Plains Partners' 7-year-old Whitmore, who won this race in 2017 and has finished second the past two years. Whitmore also finished third in last year's Breeders' Cup Sprint.
Saturday's Preakness Stakes for 3-year-olds marks the first time that a Triple Crown race will be a part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series. Eleven runners have been entered for the 1 3/16-mile test, led by Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Authentic, who is the 9-5 favorite. Owned by Spendthrift Farm, MyRaceHorse Stable, Madaket Stables, and Starlight Racing, Authentic earned a free berth into the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic when he captured the TVG.com Haskell Stakes (G1) in July. Bruce Lunsford's Art Collector, winner of Keeneland's Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2), is the 5-2 second choice.
NBC's Preakness coverage will also include an update from Keeneland on the Breeders' Cup Challenge races held earlier in the day.
The 1 1/8-mile, $400,000 Juddmonte Spinster (G1) headlines Sunday's three Breeders' Cup Challenge races at Keeneland. The Spinster winner will gain a free berth into the $2 million Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1). The race is expected to be led by Flurry Racing Stables, Qatar Racing Limited, and Big Aut Farms' 3-year-old filly Shedaresthedevil, winner of the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs.
Two recent Kentucky Downs stakes winners, Breeze Easy LLC's Outadore and Bantry Farms' Barrister Tom, figure to headline the 1 1/16-mile, $200,000 Bourbon (G2), with the winner gaining a free spot into the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1). Outadore captured the Kentucky Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint on Sept. 12 and Barrister Tom won the More Than Ready Juvenile Stakes on Sept. 7.
Ranlo Investments' Golden Pal is expected to loom large in the 5 ½-furlong, $150,000 Indian Summer Presented by Keeneland Select for 2-year-olds, with a “Win and You're In” spot on the line for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2). A son of 2010 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) winner Uncle Mo, Golden Pal finished second in the Norfolk Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot in June and came back to win the Skidmore Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 21.
The 2020 “Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In – presented by America's Best Racing” concludes on Wednesday, Oct. 7 with the 1 1/16-mile, $150,000 JPMorgan Chase Jessamine (G2) at Keeneland. The winner of the Jessamine will earn an automatic starting position into the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1). The NBCSN telecast is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET.
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