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Runhappy Travers returns to FOX on Saturday

by Pat McKenna

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today highlighted television coverage of Runhappy Travers Day, which will include five grade 1 races among six stakes races in total on Saturday, August 27 at historic Saratoga Race Course. 

For the fourth consecutive year, FOX will present coverage and analysis of the Grade 1, $1.25 million Runhappy Travers as part of a special 90-minute telecast beginning at 4:30 p.m. Eastern. Saturday’s 13-race blockbuster card features a first post of 11:35 a.m. Accordingly, an expanded edition of Saratoga Live will begin at 11:30 a.m. and continue throughout the afternoon on the networks of FOX Sports. 

First held in 1864, the Travers is the country’s most prestigious stakes race for 3-year-olds outside of the Triple Crown series and the traditional centerpiece of the annual Saratoga meeting. The race is named for William R. Travers, the first president of Saratoga Race Course who won the inaugural running in 1864 with a horse named Kentucky. 

The field for the 153rd renewal of the Grade 1, $1.25 million Runhappy Travers will feature Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike, Preakness winner Early Voting and Jim Dandy winner Epicenter. The race is sponsored by Runhappy, a champion sprinter currently standing at Claiborne Farm. 

The Runhappy Travers on FOX will incorporate footage provided by a new aerial cable cam system currently in place at Saratoga Race Course. Constructed specifically for the demands of filming thoroughbreds in full flight from a variety of angles, the remote-operated camera travels up to 45 mph along a cable that spans the length of the Saratoga backstretch. 

Viewers of the Runhappy Travers on FOX will also enjoy an eye-in-the-sky perspective of Saratoga Race Course via a helicopter-mounted SkyCam, which will be utilized throughout the 90-minute show. 

In addition to the Runhappy Travers, Saturday’s spectacular day of world-class racing will include the Grade 1, $750,000 Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer offering a "Win and You're In" berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf; the Grade 1, $600,000 Personal Ensign; the Grade 1, $600,000 Forego, the Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial and the Grade 2, $400,000 Ballston Spa. 

For additional details on Saturday’s television schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.