Magna got the hour on NBC through a time-buy, in which the company purchased the hour from the network, and seeks to recoup funds through the selling of advertising time. The talent that will man the broadcast booth for the event has yet to be decided upon. The program will air immediately before coverage of the Tampa Bay Open Pro Bull-Riding competition that NBC will air from 4-6pm eastern time.
NBC will telecast live three of the Sunshine Millions series of eight races January 25. The Sunshine Millions is a product of Magna Entertainment to be run at the company's two flagship facilities, Santa Anita Park and Gulfstream Park. The format of the eight races is California-bred horses squaring off against Florida-breds. The eight races have combined purses of $3.6 million.The one-hour telecast, from 3-4pm eastern time, will feature live coverage of the $250,000 Sunshine Millions Dash over seven furlongs from Gulfstream, the nine furlong $500,000 Sunshine Millions Turf from Santa Anita, and the nine furlong $1 million Sunshine Millions Classic from Gulfstream. The Dash is for 3-year-olds, while the Turf and Classic are open to 4-year-olds and up.
