Comcast SportsNet to Broadcast PA Derby Day
PHILADELPHIA, PA – August 13, 2013 – Comcast SportsNet, Parx Racing®, and the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association announced today that Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia will broadcast live coverage of Pennsylvania Derby Day on Saturday, September 21, 2013. The pinnacle of the Parx racing schedule, this Super Saturday of racing will feature the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby (Grade 2) for three-year olds, the $1 Million Cotillion Stakes (Grade 1) for three-year-old fillies, and the $300,000 Gallant Bob Stakes (Grade 3) for three-year olds.
“Last year’s races produced an electrifying stretch duel between the top two fillies in the country in the Cotillion, a rematch of the Travers dead-heat winners in the PA Derby, and eventual Breeders Cup Sprint winner and Eclipse Award Sprint Champion, Trinniberg, competing in the Gallant Bob,” said Sal Sinatra, Director of Racing at Parx. “We’re thrilled to see what excitement happens this year at Parx Racing.”
“The Cotillion and Pennsylvania Derby are two of the premiere events in Pennsylvania horse racing,” said Sal DeBunda, President of the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horseman’s Association, which represents owners and trainers who race at the track. “Marquee events like this enable us to showcase some of the nation’s top talent in horseracing while building a stronger base of fans locally. This is a great day for Pennsylvania racing.”
Live coverage from Parx Racing® will begin at 4:30 p.m. Underscoring the national importance of these races just six weeks before the Breeders Cup, the broadcast will be hosted by some of the sport’s top horse racing announcers. Laffit Pincay III – a racing reporter for NBC Sports and one of the lead hosts for the Triple Crown broadcast, will serve as the lead announcer for the broadcast. Pincay is also the son of Hall of Fame jockey Laffit Pincay, Jr. Joining him will be Mike Battaglia, a veteran of the NBC broadcast team who has covered numerous Triple Crown and Breeders Cup events as an analyst and reporter. Maggie Wolfendale, a member of the New York Racing Association Inc. broadcast team will join Battaglia in providing live coverage from the paddock and Winner’s Circle.
Eclipse Award winning writer Dick Jerardi of the Philadelphia Daily News will join Pincay in the broadcast booth as the color analyst. Rounding out the broadcast team is NBC10 meteorologist Sheena Parveen, who will serve as a feature reporter for the Derby. The broadcast will re-air on The Comcast Network at 10 p.m. Saturday evening.
