NBC Sports Group Coverage of “Summer at Saratoga” Series Continues This Weekend on Versus

Seven Straight Weekends of Coverage from Saratoga Continues Saturday at 5 p.m. ET with the Whitney and Sunday at 5 p.m. ET with the Vanderbilt

The NBC Sports Group’s seven straight weekends of “Summer at Saratoga” live from continues this weekend with two shows on VERSUS, Saturday, 5-6 p.m. ET with coverage of the Whitney and Test and Sunday, 5-6 p.m. ET with coverage of the Vanderbilt and Honorable Miss.

COMMENTATORS: Saturday’s coverage will be hosted by Laffit Pincay, III alongside analyst Randy Moss. They will be joined by handicapper Bob Neumeier and the Daily Racing Form’s Jay Privman. VERSUS will take the race call from the Saratoga track announcer, the legendary Tom Durkin.

ABOUT THE BROADCAST: In addition to the four grades stakes races, coverage will include two feature stories. On Saturday, there will be a feature about Al Stall, the trainer of Apart, who won the Whitney last year with – the horse that went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic defeating .

Sunday’s feature will look at the owners of Noble’s Promise, a group of everyday people who pooled $10,000 to buy the horse. For some, it is their first trip to Saratoga. This feature will also recount the owners’ experience, as Noble’s Promise ran in the 2010 Derby.

NBCSports.com will feature highlights and features from every race, plus online-only features by NBC Sports and VERSUS' on-air talent. SATURDAY - WHITNEY AND TEST: Headed by Grade 1 winner , Saturday’s Grade 1, $750,000 Whitney Invitational Handicap at 1 1/8 miles has also attracted Apart, Duke of Mischief, , Friend Or Foe, Giant Oak, Headache, Mission Impazible, Morning Line, Rail Trip, and Rodman. Always one of the meet’s most prestigious races, the Whitney is shaping up as one of the best races for older horses run this year.

Saturday’s Grade 1 Test, seven furlongs for 3-year-old fillies, drew Grade 1 Prioress winner Her Smile, American Lady, Ava K., Coax Liberty, Pomeroys Pistol, Roman Treasure, Salty Strike, Savvy Supreme, and Turbulent Descent, a dual Grade 1 winner in California and runner-up in the June 11 TVG Acorn at .

SUNDAY – VANDERBILT AND HONORABLE MISS: Sunday features a pair of graded sprint stakes, with the Grade 1, six-furlong Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap expected to attract Trappe Shot, who looks to keep his momentum going following a victory in the Grade 2 True North Handicap on day. Also probable for the race are Apriority, Atta Boy Roy, Bank Merger, Calibrachoa, Noble’s Promise, and Sean Avery.

The Grade 2 Honorable Miss, a six-furlong handicap for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up, is likely to attract last year’s G1 Acorn and Test heroine Champagne d’Oro, along with Beat the Blues, Tar Heel Mom, Tidal Pool, and Wild News.

In May, The New York Racing Association (NYRA) and the NBC Sports Group announced a partnership to broadcast “Summer at Saratoga,” the most extensive live national television coverage of racing from Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., over seven weekends this summer beginning this Saturday and including the famed $1 million Travers Stakes on August 27.

NBC SPORTS GROUP SUMMER AT SARATOGA REMAINING COVERAGE (All Times ET) Saturday, Whitney and Test, 5-6 p.m., VERSUS Sunday, Vanderbilt and Honorable Miss, 5-6 p.m., VERSUS Aug. 13, , 5-6 p.m., VERSUS Aug. 20, Alabama, 5-6 p.m., NBC Aug. 27, Travers and King’s Bishop, 5-6 p.m., NBC Sept. 3, Woodward and , 5-6 p.m., VERSUS

Saratoga Race Course was named one of the world’s top 10 venues of the 20th century by Sports Illustrated. From late July through Labor Day, many of the sport’s top owners, trainers, jockeys, and horses gather in Saratoga Springs for the premier racing meet in the country. First held in 1863, the Saratoga meet now draws more than 20,000 passionate racing fans to the track on a daily basis.

NBC SPORTS AND HORSE RACING: The NBC Sports Group is the exclusive home to Horse Racing’s Triple Crown. This year marked the first time that all three races were broadcast on one network since NBC last aired the Triple Crown in 2005. NBC has been the exclusive home of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes since 2001.

NYRA: Founded in 1955, and franchised to run at New York’s three major tracks through 2033, NYRA boasts a lineage that actually stretches back almost 150 years. NYRA tracks are the cornerstone of the state’s thoroughbred business which contributes more than $2 billion annually to New York State’s urban, suburban and rural economy. In 2010, more than 1.6 million people attended the live races at NYRA tracks. Factoring in nationwide off-track wagering, the average daily betting handle on NYRA races totals more than $8.7 million. NYRA has a vast network of websites, including www.nyra.com, www.belmontstakes.com, and www.nyragroupsales.com. You can also follow NYRA on social media platforms Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, and YouTube.