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America's Day at the Races to air Belmont Stakes Day coverage for the first time on Saturday

by Jim Reisler

For the first time since it began in 2016, America's Day at the Races will air Saturday's Belmont Stakes Day coverage, with several major races preceding the 152nd running of the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes to be shown on the networks of FOX Sports starting at 11:30 a.m. Eastern.

The acclaimed national horse racing telecast, produced by NYRA in partnership with FOX Sports, will air Thursday through Sunday, with more than 20 hours of total coverage highlighted by Saturday's Grade 1, $250,000 Woody Stephens presented by Claiborne Farm and the Grade 2, $150,000 Pennine Ridge at Belmont Park.

Cash is King and LC Racing's Mischevious Alex will headline the 36th running of the Woody Stephens presented by Claiborne Farm for 3-year-olds going seven furlongs. The Into Mischief bay colt captured the Grade 3 Gotham last out on March 7 at Aqueduct Racetrack for trainer John Servis. Bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, Mischevious Alex enters on a three-race streak that includes scores in the Parx Juvenile in November and the Grade 3 Swale in February at Gulfstream Park ahead of his Gotham win.

Named after the late Hall of Fame trainer who won five consecutive Belmont Stakes from 1982-86, the Woody Stephens presented by Claiborne Farm is slated as Race 2 on Belmont Stakes Day's loaded 12-race card with an approximate post time of 12:25 p.m.

Grade 1-winner Decorated Invader will take on six others in the sixth running of the Pennine Ridge for 3-year-olds over the Widener turf course. Owned by Terry Finley's West Point Thoroughbreds in partnership with William T. Freeman, William Sandbrook and Cheryl Manning, the son of Declaration triumphed in last year's Grade 1 Summer at Woodbine en route to a close fourth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf in November. Decorated Invader won the Cutler Bay at Gulfstream Park on March 28 in his most recent start.

The one-mile Pennine Ridge will be the day's fourth race with an approximate post of 1:42 p.m. The race pays homage to the two-time stakes winner over the Belmont Park turf who set a stakes record in the 1994 Grade 3 Hill Prince when stopping the clock in 1:39.87. Pennine Ridge, who was owned by Allan Dragone's December Hill Farm and trained by David Donk, boasted a consistent 15-4-3-1 record at Belmont Park.

Both races are part of six total graded stakes on Belmont Stakes Day, headlined by the Belmont Stakes in Race 10 at 5:42 p.m. kicking off the Triple Crown series for the first time in history. 

FOX Sports will offer 4 ½-hours of live coverage, providing expert commentary and behind-the-scenes insight that viewers of America's Day at the Races have come to expect. The coverage will sandwich NBC's live broadcast of Belmont Stakes Day from 2:45 p.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern.

This week's complete America's Day at the Races schedule (all times Eastern): 

Thursday, June 18:
1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. (FS2 & MSG+)

Friday, June 19:
12:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. (FS2 & MSG+)

Saturday. June 20:
11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. (FS1)
2 p.m. - 3 p.m. & 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. (FS2)

Sunday, June 21:
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. (FS2)
2:30 p.m. - 6 p.m. (FS1)
1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. (MSG+)

America's Day at the Races is also broadcast on NYRA's YouTube channel, which boasts more than 38,000 subscribers. Fans can subscribe to NYRA's channel and set a reminder to watch the show on YouTube Live. NYRA's YouTube channel also hosts a number of race replays, special features, America's Day at the Races replays and more.

America's Day at the Races is presented by America's Best Racing, Runhappy, and Claiborne Farm. This weekend's broadcast team includes Greg Wolf, Andy Serling, Maggie Wolfendale, Richard Migliore, Acacia Courtney, and Jonathon Kinchen.

NYRA Bets is the official betting partner of the Belmont Stakes. Today through the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, new members receive a $25 free play, plus up to a $200 deposit match with the promo code, BELMONT25. Visit NYRABets.com for details and to sign up.

NYRA Bets customers can also take advantage of a number of several Belmont Stakes promotions, including the "Belmont Stakes Reload promotion," in which customers can on Thursday, June 18, deposit $100 or more, bet $100 or more on the NYRA Bets App, and get $20 in their account on Friday, June 19 before the Belmont card starts.

On Belmont Stakes Day, NYRA Bets customers can also earn a $20 bonus by betting at least $100 on Belmont races 1 to 5 on the NYRA Bets App. The NYRA Bets App is available for download in the App Store and on NYRABets.com/App for Android.

And be sure to take advantage of "The Showdown Supersized," a free "supersized" version of the "The Showdown," which for Belmont Stakes Day will feature $5,000 in prizes to be distributed with $2,500 to the winner, $1,500 to second and $1,000 to third.

To play, contestants place mythical bets and the highest bankroll wins. Entry is free for anyone - you don't have to be in a NYRA Bets-approved state - at NYRA.com/showdown. Follow along on America's Day at the Races for leaderboard updates throughout the day on Belmont Stakes Day. The Showdown is available every day and typically the winner received 50,000 NYRA Bets points or an equivalent prize ($50 value) if not a NYRA Bets customer.

Free Equibase-provided past performances are available for races that are part of the America's Day at the Races broadcast and can be accessed at https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

The 2020 Belmont spring/summer meet continues through Sunday, July 12. Live racing is offered Thursday through Sunday with a first post of 1:15 p.m. The 25-day meet features 22 graded stakes and 40 stakes races in total worth $7 million in purses.

About NYRA Bets

Introduced in August 2016, NYRA Bets is a leading online wagering platform, available nationwide online, on your phone and at kiosks at NYRA tracks. As a legal, United States-based, regulated and licensed provider of horse race wagering, NYRA Bets gives fans the opportunity to wager on more than 250 race tracks worldwide from anywhere at any time. You can download the NYRA Bets app for iOS and Android.

NYRA Bets provides fans the opportunity to wager on racing from tracks around the world at any time. The NYRA Bets app is available for download for iOS and Android at NYRA Bets App. Watch and wager on the best racing while earning points on every bet.

For additional details, and to sign up for NYRA Bets visit NYRABets.com.