Seven Straight Weekends of Coverage from Saratoga Continues Saturday at 5 p.m. ET with the Alabama

The NBC Sports Group’s seven straight weekends of “Summer at Saratoga” live horse racing from Saratoga Race Course continues this Saturday, 5-6 p.m. ET on NBC with coverage of the Grade 1, $500,000 Alabama.

COMMENTATORS: Saturday’s coverage will be hosted by Tom Hammond alongside Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, handicapper Mike Battaglia and reporter Kenny Rice.  NBC will take the race call from the Saratoga track announcer, the legendary Tom Durkin.

ABOUT THE BROADCAST: In addition to the Alabama, coverage will include a feature story on It’s Tricky, a contender for the Triple Tiara and a preview of next week’s famed Travers Stakes.

NBCSports.com will feature highlights and features from every race, plus online-only features by NBC Sports and VERSUS' on-air talent. 

THE ALABAMA: To date, five fillies – Top Flight (1932), Shuvee (1969), Mom’s Command (1985), Open Mind (1989), and Sky Beauty (1993) – have swept the Acorn, Coaching Club American Oaks, and Alabama. On Saturday, It’s Tricky will attempt to add her name to that list when she faces five formidable 3-year-old fillies in the 131st running of the prestigious Alabama. 
It’s Tricky, a 3-year-old daughter of 2003 Horse of the Year Mineshaft, is poised to don the Triple Tiara, but first she’ll have to defeat a select field of fillies that includes the winners of the Kentucky Oaks (Plum Pretty), Black-Eyed Susan (Royal Delta), Queen’s Plate (Inglorious), and Delaware Oaks (St. John’s River).

NBC AND NYRA: 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)
Aug. 20, Alabama, 5-6 p.m., NBC
Aug. 27, Travers and King’s Bishop, 5-6 p.m., NBC                           
Sept. 3, Woodward and Forego, 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 thoroughbred 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 thoroughbred racing 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.