by Pat McKenna
America’s Day at the Races, the acclaimed national television show produced by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) in partnership with FOX Sports, will once again present live coverage and on-site analysis of the Far Hills Race Meeting, the storied one-day steeplechase event that highlights the steeplechase calendar.
NYRA host Acacia Clement will anchor the coverage from Far Hills joined by analysts Joe Clancy and Richard Migliore reporting throughout the afternoon. America’s Day at the Races, which will include all the Saturday action from Belmont at the Big A, will span 12:00 p.m. through 6 p.m. on FS2.
The 103rd Far Hills Steeplechase Race Meeting will offer $720,000 in total purses and include five stakes among six races to be run at Moorland Farm in Far Hills, N.J., highlighted by the Grade 1 $250,000 American Grand National, the richest and most prestigious race on the National Steeplechase Association schedule. The one-day meet at Far Hills is the marquis event in American steeplechase racing.
The six-race card kicks off at 12:50 p.m. Eastern with the Harry E. Harris in Race 1 and includes the McDynamo Maiden Sweepstakes [Race 2], the Peapack [Race 3], The Foxbrook Champion Hurdle [Race 4], the featured American Grand National in Race 5 at 3:42 p.m., and the day’s lone flat race – the John Forbes Memorial – in Race 6 at 4:32 p.m.
Saturday’s 12-race Belmont at the Big A card offers a first post of 12:10 p.m. and is co-headlined by the Listed $150,000 Awad in Race 3 and the Listed $150,000 Athenia in Race 10.
In addition to stateside coverage on Saturday afternoon, FOX Sports will present live coverage of British Champions Day from Ascot on FS1 from 8:00 a.m. to 11 a.m. Eastern and from 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on FS2. QIPCO British Champions Day is the richest day on the British racing calendar.
The lucrative card is highlighted by two Breeders’ Cup “Win and You're In” Challenge Series events with the winners earning automatic and free entry to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships in November at Del Mar.
The winner of the Group 1, £500,000 QIPCO British Champions Fillies and Mares at 1 1/2-miles, scheduled for 9:35 a.m., heads to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf; with the winner of the 10-furlong Group 1, £1.3 million [$1.45 million] QIPCO Champion Stakes, set for 10:55 a.m., qualifying for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf.
NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont at the Big A, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.
For additional information, visit NYRA.com.