Serengeti Empress goes gate-to-wire in the 2019 Kentucky Oaks.
America’s Day at the Races, produced by the New York Racing Association, Inc., in partnership with FOX Sports, will feature a pair of graded stakes races from Oaklawn Park on Saturday’s live broadcast on FS1.
Saturday’s telecast starts at 1:30 p.m. ET and will run until 7:00 p.m. ET on FS1. Sunday’s program begins on FS2 at 1:30 p.m. ET and will run until 2:30 p.m. before immediately switching to FS1 at 2:30 p.m. Programming will go until 6:30 p.m. ET.
Saturday’s broadcast will be highlighted by the Grade 1, $600,000 Apple Blossom Handicap, a mile-and-one-sixteenth route for fillies and mares, 4-years-old and older; along with the Grade 3, $350,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap, a six-furlong sprint for 4-year-olds and older.
The Apple Blossom will feature the Amoss-trained Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks-winner Serengeti Empress headlining a field of 14. The 4-year-old daughter of Alternation rose to prominence with a romping 19 ½-length score in the 2018 Grade 2 Pocahontas at Churchill Downs as a juvenile. She enjoyed a memorable sophomore season winning the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra at Fair Grounds in addition to her Oaks triumph. Last out, Serengeti Empress went gate-to-wire under returning rider Joe Talamo in the Grade 2 Azeri on March 14 at Oaklawn.
Serengeti Empress, purchased by Politi for $70,000 from the Brookdale Sales consignment at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, is one of five grade 1 winners in the field, joining Ollie’s Candy, Come Dancing, Street Band and Ce Ce. 10 of the 14 starters owns a graded stakes win.
Blue Devil Racing Stable’s Come Dancing will be making her seasonal debut under Florent Geroux following a sixth-place effort in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. The versatile daughter of Malibu Moon won four-of-six starts last season including a victory in the Grade 1 Ballerina at Saratoga Race Course.
Leading the charge in the Count Fleet Sprint Handicap, which drew a field of 11, is the popular 7-year-old Whitmore. Trained by Ron Moquett, the Pleasantly Perfect gelding boasts a perfect in-the-money record at Oaklawn of 13-8-4-1 with purse earnings in excess of $1.4 million. Whitmore, a 13-time winner, captured the 2018 Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga and last out won the Hot Springs on March 7 at Oaklawn, while garnering a 104 Beyer Speed Figure. Top contenders in the six-furlong sprint include Hidden Scroll, Hog Creek Hustle and Wendell Fong Weekend Broadcast of America’s Day at the Races to Continue on FS1.
America’s Day at the Races is presented by America’s Best Racing, Runhappy, and Claiborne Farm. Hosted by Greg Wolf and Laffit Pincay III, this weekend’s broadcast team includes Gary Stevens, Michelle Yu, Tom Amoss and Jonathon Kinchen.
The acclaimed national telecast presenting coverage and analysis of the best racing from around the country will air on FS1/FS2 on Saturday and Sunday for a combined 10.5 hours of national television coverage from Oaklawn Park and Tampa Bay Downs.
America’s Day at the Races is also broadcast on NYRA’s YouTube channel which boasts more than 30,000 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 plethora of race replays, special features, Talking Horses episodes, America’s Day at the Races replays and more. Edited Press Release
