The February 9 running of the $500,000 Donn Handicap, the first major race of the year for older racehorses, will kick off “The Jockey Club Tour on FOX” series of races, which will be televised on FOX Sports 1 during 2014. The new series includes eight other telecasts that will feature several of North America’s most prestigious races for older horses as well as the $10,000,000 Dubai World Cup, the world’s richest Thoroughbred race.

The announcement of the 2014 schedule was made today by David Nathanson, general manager and chief operating officer of FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2, and Ogden Mills Phipps, chairman of The Jockey Club.

While the nine telecasts will predominantly feature older horses, there will also be prominent races for 2-year-olds and 3-year-olds. The Toyota Blue Grass Stakes Day from Keeneland will provide fans the opportunity to watch contenders on the 2014 Triple Crown trail and the Saratoga Special from Saratoga Race Course in August will showcase 2-year-olds that might compete in the 2015 Triple Crown.

The Jockey Club Tour on FOX series schedule includes the following races:

Each telecast will include at least two top stakes races featuring the leading horses in North America. The complete list of all races, as well as the names of the on-air talent for the shows, will be announced in the near future, pending final approval from all necessary organizations.

The partnership between the FOX Sports Media Group and The Jockey Club is a multi-year agreement that was announced in August 2013. FOX Sports 1, America’s new sports network, launched on Saturday, Aug. 17.

“We’re excited to begin our relationship with The Jockey Club on February 9 with live coverage of the Donn Handicap on FOX Sports 1,” said Nathanson. “FOX Sports is planning to take a fresh approach to horse racing coverage with a focus on the horses, jockeys, trainers, owners and horseplayers that make the sport one of America’s best pastimes.”

“As we have often stated, increasing the national television presence of Thoroughbred racing continues to be a key component of our fan retention and development efforts under the America’s Best Racing banner,” said Phipps. “This uniquely structured series will help casual fans follow the stars of our sport beyond the Triple Crown and into the summer and fall as many of them aim for the Breeders’ Cup. The inclusion of the Dubai World Cup certainly brings the sport’s international flavor to the series, and we are grateful to all of the participating racetracks for making these races available for our series.”

The agreement also includes international and Spanish-language rights, including the ability to air races on FOX Deportes, the nation’s leading Spanish-language sports network.

About The Jockey Club
The Jockey Club, founded in 1894 and dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing, is the breed registry for North American Thoroughbreds. In fulfillment of its mission, The Jockey Club, directly or through subsidiaries, provides support and leadership on a wide range of important industry initiatives, and it serves the information and technology needs of owners, breeders, media, fans and farms. It is a founding member of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities and the architect and sole funding source for America’s Best Racing, the broad-based fan development initiative for Thoroughbred racing. You can follow America’s Best Racing at followhorseracing.com as well as on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, and Instagram.

About FOX Sports 1
FOX Sports 1 is America’s new national multi-sport channel that launched on August 17 in approximately 90 million homes and boasts nearly 5,000 hours of live event, news and original programming annually. The channel has several pillar sports: college basketball and football, MLB (in 2014), NASCAR, NFL (ancillary programs), international soccer, UFC and Golden Boy boxing, and adds USGA events, including the U.S. Open, and FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2015.  FOX SPORTS LIVE is FOX Sports 1’s flagship 24/7 news, opinion and highlights program, providing around the clock coverage through regularly scheduled programs, hourly updates and an information rich ticker.  Original programs include: FOX FOOTBALL DAILY; NASCAR RACE HUB; FOX SOCCER DAILY; CROWD GOES WILD, a new live sports entertainment talk show hosted by Regis Philbin; and the groundbreaking BEING: documentary franchise.  FOX Sports GO, a new authenticated mobile sports experience for iPhone, iPad, Android devices and the web, serves as the channel’s digital extension. The app offers more than 1,100 live games and events from cross FOX Sports, FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Sports’ 22 regional sports networks, as well as scores, highlights, news, stats and analysis. For more information visit http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsports1 .