America's Day at the Races to show stacked Wood Memorial Day card

by Brian Bohl

America's Day at the Races, the acclaimed national telecast produced by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) in partnership with FOX Sports, will air six hours coverage on Saturday, with action at Aqueduct Racetrack and Oaklawn Park.

Presented by America’s Best Racing and Claiborne Farm, America’s Day at the Races will broadcast Saturday from 1-7 p.m. Eastern on FS2.

Saturday is one of Aqueduct’s signature days, with five stakes on the offering, highlighted by the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino. The Grade 2 Kentucky Derby prep will see nine 3-year-olds compete in the nine-furlong contest with 100-40-20-10 qualifying points available to the top-four finishers.

The 96th running of the Wood Memorial will air on NBSCN as part of a live national broadcast beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET and scheduled to include the Grade 2, $800,000 Toyota Blue Grass from Keeneland and the Grade 1, $750,000 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby from Santa Anita Park.

Prior to the NBCSN broadcast, national television coverage of the Wood Memorial Day card on FS2 will showcase exciting stakes action, including the first Grade 1 of 2021 on the New York circuit with the $300,000 Carter Handicap for 4-year-olds and up going seven furlongs in Race 6 at 3:25 p.m.

The five-horse Carter will see 4-year-old Mischevious Alex try to go 3-for-3 for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. Other contenders include Mind Control, Souper Stonehenge, Shoplifted and Chateau.

The Grade 3, $250,000 Gazelle for sophomore fillies going nine furlongs in Race 9 at 5:09 p.m. will see an eight-horse field compete in a 100-40-20-10-point qualifier to the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on April 30.  

Brown will saddle stakes winners Search Results and The Grass Is Blue, while the Graham Motion-trained Mia Martina tries dirt for the first time after closing from deep to finish fourth last out in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks.

A stacked undercard will also include the Grade 3, $200,000 Bay Shore for 3-year-olds going seven furlongs in Race 3 at 1:51 p.m., while 4-year-olds and up will contest at nine furlongs in the $150,000 Excelsior in Race 8 at 4:31 p.m.

Saturday will also see America’s Day at the Races showcase action from Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Arkansas, which includes the $200,000 Purple Martin for 3-year-old fillies in Race 6 at 4:09 p.m.

Oaklawn’s 12-race card will be highlighted by the Grade 3, $600,000 Fantasy for 3-year-old fillies going 1 1/16 miles in Race 11 at 6:54 p.m. Like the Gazelle, the Fantasy is also a 100-40-20-10-point qualifier to the Kentucky Oaks, and the road to Churchill Downs will see the respective second, third and fifth-place finishers in last month’s Grade 3 Honeybee matchup again in Pauline’s Pearl, Sun Path and Coach. Pauline's Pearl, trained by Hall of Famer Steve 

America's Day at the Races is also broadcast on NYRA's YouTube channel which boasts more than 65,000 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, America's Day at the Races replays and more.

Free Equibase-provided past performances are available for races that are part of the America's Day at the Races broadcast and can be accessed at https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the winter meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.