Breeders’ Cup announced Sept. 14 that ESPN will televise three days of Breeders’ Cup Challenge stakes in October in advance of the Nov. 6-7 World Championships at Santa Anita Park.
The telecast schedule will be highlighted with a race that will air live on ESPN during its college football doubleheader Saturday, Oct. 10—schedule permitting—with either the Goodwood Stakes (gr. I), a Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I) qualifier expected to include 2009 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) winnerMine That Bird, or the Lady’s Secret (gr. I), a Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (gr. I) qualifier in which undefeated Zenyatta is expected to compete.
The Oct. 11 telecast from Keeneland will feature two grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Challenge races, the Juddmonte Spinster, a Ladies’ Classic qualifier, and the Keeneland Turf, a Juvenile Turf qualifier.
The ESPN telecast schedule will coincide with the conclusion of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series and end Oct. 17 with international races from Woodbine in Canada Racetrack and Newmarket in Great Britain.
“This year’s Breeders’ Cup Challenge telecasts on ESPN, is full of excitement and is an interesting model which includes televising a marquee race live during ESPN’s college football doubleheader in between the two games,” Breeders’ Cup president and chief executive officer Greg Avioli said in a statement. “Given the increased participation and success of international Thoroughbreds in the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, we thought it would be fitting to close our ESPN telecast schedule with international races.”
The broadcast team will include host Joe Tessitore and color analysts Randy Moss and Jerry Bailey, reporters Jeannine Edwards and Jay Privman, and handicapper Hank Goldberg.
Here’s the schedule:
Oct. 10 from Oak Tree at Santa Anita and Keeneland (5-7:30 p.m. EDT):
Goodwood Stakes or Lady’s Secret Stakes (7:20 p.m., ESPN)
Goodwood Stakes or Lady’s Secret Stakes (6:45 p.m., ESPN Classic)
Oak Tree Mile (6:10 p.m., ESPN)
Shadwell Turf Mile (5:45 p.m., ESPN Classic)
Dixiana Breeders’ Futurity (5:10 p.m., ESPN)
The 7:20 race will be shown live—college football schedule permitting, officials noted—during the College Football Scoreboard Show on ESPN.
Oct. 11 from Keeneland (5-6 p.m. EDT):
Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (5:43 p.m., ESPN)
Bourbon Turf Stakes (5:10 p.m., ESPN)
Oct. 17 from Woodbine and Newmarket (4-6 p.m. EDT):
Pattison Canadian International (time to be determined, ESPN2)
E.P. Taylor Stakes (time to be determined, ESPN2)
Nearctic Stakes (time to be determined, ESPN2)
Emirates Champion Stakes (time to be determined, ESPN2)