The road to the Breeders’ Cup runs through California this weekend with two Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win and You’re In” races and TVG, America’s horse racing network, will be broadcasting live from Del Mar featuring the $300,000 Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) on Saturday and the $300,000 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes (G1) on Sunday.
A broadcast team including Todd Schrupp, Christina Blacker, Britney Eurton, Joaquin Jaime, Mike Joyce and Scott Hazelton will be trackside with exclusive interviews, insights and handicapping selections.
Saturday’s $300,000 Bing Crosby (G1), which will earn the winner a spot in the starting gate for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1), has drawn a field of nine of some of the fastest sprinters in the country including graded stakes winner C Z Rocket for trainer Peter Miller. The 7-year-old gelding was second in the 2020 edition of the Breeders’ Cup Sprint and will have Flavien Prat aboard.
Sunday’s featured $300,000 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes (G1) has drawn a field of seven fillies and mares vying for a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1). The contenders include Shedaresthedevil, the 2020 Kentucky Oaks (G1) heroine for trainer Brad Cox. A four-year-old daughter of Daredevil, she will be ridden by Florent Geroux as she tries to earn her third victory of the year.
The Breeders’ Cup will be held November 5-6 at Del Mar.
Thursday will also mark the beginning of a month-long partnership with Old Friends, a popular equine retirement facility in Kentucky that is home to retired champions including Silver Charm, Alphabet Soup and Game on Dude.
Any existing account holder that refers a friend to sign up and make a deposit before the end of August will receive a $50 referral bonus and TVG will make a $50 donation to Old Friends for each referral received.
It was announced on Friday that the TVG Pacific Classic (G1), scheduled for August 21, will get a purse increase back to its original level of $1 million. The TVG Pacific Classic is a Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” race for the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).
In addition to racing from Del Mar, TVG will also be featuring Monmouth Park, Gulfstream Park, Pimlico 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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