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NBC Sports Network To Televise Breeders’ Cup Challenge Races From Keeneland This Weekend

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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No Fans At This Year’s Breeders’ Cup; Purse Increases Postponed Until 2021; Keeneland To Host Again In 2022

The Breeders' Cup, one of Thoroughbred horse racing's most prestigious international events, announced on Saturday Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky. will be the host site for the 2022 Breeders' Cup World Championships. Keeneland, which is also scheduled to host this year's World Championships on November 6–7, will hold the 39th championship event on November 4–5, 2022, which will mark the venue's third time as host since it first welcomed the Breeders' Cup in 2015.

The announcement of Keeneland as host of the 2022 event was made in conjunction with the decision to conduct the 2020 Breeders' Cup World Championships without fans on-site due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This decision was made following close, continuous communications with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Keeneland, local and state government and public health officials and independent medical experts to fully assess the conditions under which major sporting events may expect to operate safely in the coming months.

Under the new operational parameters, on-site attendance will be limited to essential personnel and participants only. Those accessing the grounds will be subject to strict guidelines and protocols put in place as part of Breeders' Cup's comprehensive COVID-19 health and safety plan, details of which will be announced closer to the event.

In keeping with the Breeders' Cup's commitment to showcase the highest quality of competition the sport has to offer, the 2020 Breeders' Cup will be run for $31 million in purses and awards, the same amount as 2019. While many racing events have reduced purses due to COVID-19 implications, the Breeders' Cup is committed to maintaining its lucrative purse levels during these challenging times to support the industry and its horsemen. With purses of $6 million and $4 million, the weekend's Longines Classic and Longines Turf remain two of the richest horse races in the world. The $4 million purse increase announced earlier this year has been postponed to 2021.

“While we are disappointed that we will not be joined by our fans on-site this year, our utmost priority is and always will be to conduct the Breeders' Cup World Championships in the safest way possible,” said Fred Hertrich, Breeders' Cup Board Chairman. “We would like to thank Governor Beshear, state and local health officials and public health authorities for their leadership, guidance and insight as we have worked to identify our options and finalize our plans. Lexington's local community of racing fans, businesses and members of the Thoroughbred industry are the backbone of our sport, and we believe they deserve a second opportunity, in short order, to experience the event at its full potential. As such, we are proud to award Keeneland the 2022 World Championships and look forward to bringing the Breeders' Cup back to Lexington in just two years' time.”

“The decision to hold this year's Breeders' Cup World Championships without fans in attendance was not made lightly,” said Drew Fleming, President and CEO of Breeders' Cup. “However, after many months of careful deliberation, planning and consultation, it has become abundantly clear that this is the right decision in order to proceed with our event while still protecting the collective health of our community. Despite many major racing events reducing purses significantly, we are proud to be able to maintain 2019 purse levels to support our nominators and horsemen during this challenging year.”

“While the World Championships will look different this year, Keeneland and Breeders' Cup remain committed to making the event the best it can be,” said Bill Thomason, Keeneland President and CEO. “We are grateful to continue providing a platform for our athletes and horses to showcase their talent, and we are excited for the event to return in 2022, when fans can experience the full spectacle of Breeders' Cup in the Bluegrass as we originally intended.”

To enhance the viewing experience for the influx of horse racing fans who will be watching the races from home, Breeders' Cup is working with its official broadcast partner, NBC Sports, to develop and introduce innovative and enhanced production elements. The organization is also implementing advanced technologies across its own digital platforms and channels to further engage with fans at home.

All 2020 ticket holders will receive a full refund and will also be granted first access to purchase the same or similar tickets for the 2022 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keeneland.

Before the Breeders' Cup World Championships takes place at Keeneland in 2022, Del Mar Racetrack, in Del Mar, Calif., will be the site of the 2021 Breeders' Cup World Championships.

The 37th running of the Breeders' Cup World Championships is scheduled to take place on Friday, November 6, and Saturday, November 7, 2020. The event will be broadcast live on NBC, NBCSN, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. To learn more about the event, please visit BreedersCup.com/2020.

Breeders' Cup is also committed to alleviating the impacts of the health crisis on the horse racing community and other industry stakeholders in need. To learn more about Breeders' Cup's ongoing support of the community and to contribute to the organization's COVID-19 relief efforts, please visit BreedersCup.com/Donate.

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Kentucky Derby Delivers Most Watched 2020 Sporting Event Since Super Bowl LIV

NBC Sports' presentation of the rescheduled 146th Kentucky Derby on Saturday averaged a preliminary* Total Audience Delivery of 8.4 million viewers across NBC and NBC Sports Digital – ranking as the most-watched sporting event since Super Bowl LIV in February and the most-watched sporting event on Labor Day Weekend since 2017, based on fast national data from Nielsen and digital data from Adobe Analytics (*does not include Out of Home viewership, which is included in official national viewership as of Aug. 31, 2020, and will be available later this week).

In addition, 9.8 million viewers watched on NBC as Authentic crossed the finish line 1 1/4 lengths ahead of favorite Tiz the Law.

Immediately following the Kentucky Derby on NBC, Saturday night's Game 7 of the New York Islanders-Philadelphia Flyers Second Round series (a 4-0 Islanders' victory), averaged a preliminary TAD of 2.57 million viewers – marking the most-watched game of the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Additional Viewership Highlights:

The 2020 Kentucky Derby, with 8.3 million viewers on NBC (TV only), topped by 20% the most-watched sporting event on last year's Labor Day Weekend (6.9 million, Oregon-Auburn college football on ABC, Sat. 8/31/19).
The 2020 Kentucky Derby (6:37-7:23 p.m. ET) delivered a 4.8/14 fast national rating. Local market ratings for all 56 metered markets will be available Monday afternoon. (By comparison, the 2019 Kentucky Derby telecast registered a 10.9 overnight rating with a 25 audience share.)
NBC Sports Digital delivered an Average Minute Audience of 132,800 viewers for the 2020 Kentucky Derby to rank as NBC Sports' most-streamed horse racing event ever.

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PointsBet Becomes Official Betting Partner With NBC Sports

NBCUniversal and PointsBet announced a multi-year partnership by which PointsBet becomes the official sports betting partner of NBC Sports. As part of the agreement, NBC Sports will provide PointsBet with year-round, multi-platform media and marketing opportunities across its unmatched portfolio of events. Included among the new agreement:

PointsBet will be incorporated in exclusive multiplatform gameday integrations across the eight NBC Sports Regional Networks, which are the exclusive regional homes to MLB, NBA and NHL teams, and deliver more than 2,200 live sporting events.
Exclusive PointsBet odds integrations will be incorporated into Rotoworld, NBC Sports’ fantasy and sports betting digital property which has been a market leader for two decades.
PointsBet features full Spanish-language functionality, and will reach Hispanic sports fans via Telemundo Deportes and Telemundo broadcast stations.
PointsBet will be the exclusive provider of odds, props and trends for NBCSN and GOLF Channel and their digital properties.

Additional terms of the agreement are available here.

The post PointsBet Becomes Official Betting Partner With NBC Sports appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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