Those who frequent Saratoga Race Course know all about the excitement of opening weekend, but this time around, the entire country will get to experience it firsthand. SportsCenter, ESPN’s flagship sports news program, will be broadcasting from the Race Course on Saturday!
Photo Credit: SportsCenter via photopin (license)
The show, which draws an average monthly viewership of 115 million, has been touring the country for a six-part “SportsCenter on the Road Summer Series.” The series has included stops at Hoopfest in Spokane, WA, Nathan’s International Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island, the World Championships of Cornhole X in Knoxville, TN, and the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association World Tournament in Topeka, KS.
Saratoga Race Course will share final-stop honors with the WNBA All-Star Game that’s taking place in Uncasville, CT on Saturday afternoon.
The broadcast will begin at 9:00am ET, and Sara Walsh will anchor from the paddock area as horses return to their stalls following their morning workouts. The live telecast will continue until noon with the following highlights:
- An on-set appearance by seven-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Todd Pletcher
- Interviews and scene-setting shots from around the historic track
- An appearance by Saratoga celebrity Sam the Bugler, known for his world-famous “Call to the Post”
- A piece by Kenny Mayne on surviving the stormy 2008 Travers Stakes at Saratoga
- A piece by Jeannine Edwards on the quirkiness of Saratoga where, among other things, horses have the right of way while crossing main thoroughfares en route to the track
- A piece on the history of the track by Joe Tessitore
If you can’t make it to the Race Course in-person this weekend, be sure to tune in to ESPN on Saturday morning for an inside look at all the action!
Sources:
- ESPN: ESPN, Inc. Fact Sheet
- ESPN: SportsCenter Visits Saratoga Springs, N.Y. for Opening Weekend of Racing
