HRTV and FOX Sports Network to Broadcast the Second Annual $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic On January 25th
Houston, TX (PRWEB) December 15, 2013 -- Sam Houston Race Park is pleased to announce a television partnership with HRTV and FOX Sports Southwest which will give race fans in Houston and across the nation the opportunity to watch the most anticipated racing event in Texas in 2014. In a partnership announced today, HRTV, “The Network for Horse Sports" will broadcast a two-hour special beginning at 9:00 pm (CT) from Sam Houston Race Park on January 25th. The special will include live race coverage and special events as part of the stakes-filled card highlighted by the 2nd Annual $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic and the Grade 3, $200,000 John B. Connally Turf Cup.
"HRTV is delighted to once again partner with Sam Houston Race Park for an excellent night of racing," said Scott Daruty, President of HRTV. "The network's continuing goal is to provide its viewers with outstanding racing coverage from across the country, and this night certainly is a welcome addition to our programming line-up."
HRTV will begin promoting the Houston Ladies Classic to its national viewers beginning mid January with both commercials and web-handicapping features. The key contenders will be profiled on HRTV's Race Day America and handicapping shows including Westrock Coffee First Call, The Edge and Against The Odds.
In addition to HRTV, Sam Houston Race Park has come to terms with Fox Sports Southwest to provide live local coverage of the stakes filled day over its network which spans Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. FOX Sports Southwest’s live race coverage on January 25th will begin at 9:00 pm (CT) on FOX Sports Southwest Plus, the network’s second channel. FOX Sports Southwest will join the stakes card in progress at 10:00 pm (CT).
“We are extremely pleased to continue our partnership with Sam Houston Race Park,” said FOX Sports Southwest Senior Vice President /General Manager Jon Heidtke. “We look forward to showcasing another exciting day of racing highlighted by one of the most prestigious stakes races in the nation.”
After setting the Sam Houston Race Park track record for 1 1/16 miles, the 2013 Houston Ladies Classic Champion Joyful Victory went on to win the G1 Santa Margarita at Santa Anita and the G2 Molly Pitcher at Monmouth Park before retiring in September. Showcasing the talented field, Summer Applause, the last place finisher in the Inaugural Houston Ladies Classic, went on to win two graded stakes races and ended the year with a close fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. To date the 2013 Houston Ladies Classic field has amassed over $3.5 million in winnings, proving the level of quality competitors a race of this caliber is bringing to Houston.
While nominations for the Houston Ladies Classic will not close until January 10, the connections of many nationally prominent fillies and mares including Don’t Tell Sophia and Believe You Can have already indicated their interest in the mile and one-sixteenth main track stakes. Noted turf specialists will compete in the Grade 3, $200,000 Connally Turf Cup and the $75,000 Champion Energy Services Stakes, a five-furlong sprint on the Connally Turf Course. The fourth feature on the card will be the $50,000 Allen’s Landing Stakes for 3-year-olds competing seven furlongs on the main track.
“We are very excited to be working with HRTV, Fox Sports Southwest and the Houston Affiliate of Susan G. Komen® for the second year in a row,” said Andrea Young, Sam Houston Race Park’s President. “We look forward to working together and continuing to grow Texas’ largest race day.”
Since 1982, Susan G. Komen has led the way in the fight against breast cancer. Sam Houston Race Park will donate $1 for each guest attending the Park on January 25th as a fundraiser for the Houston Affiliate of Komen.
Sam Houston Race Park is Houston’s premier racing and entertainment facility, located just 15 minutes from downtown Houston, and offers a variety of attractions including 19 recently renovated luxury suites overlooking the race track, The Pavilion Centre, and award-winning dining options at the Winner’s Circle Restaurant and the Champion Energy Services Jockey Club. For more information on upcoming shows, events and tickets, please visit http://www.shrp.com.
Jamie Nielsen, Sam Houston Race Park, +1 (281) 807-8771, [email protected]
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