Where to Watch/Listen: Labor Day Weekend 2021

Events / Travel
Horses race on turf during the Saratoga summer 2021 meet. (Eclipse Sportswire)

The upcoming holiday weekend in horse racing is annually one of the busiest on the calendar, and this year will be especially exciting as both Saratoga Race Course and Del Mar will have fans in attendance for the final days of their summer meets. Two Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” races are on tap, both set for Saturday, Sept. 4 at Saratoga, and important 2-year-old races will follow at both tracks on Sunday, Sept. 5, and on Labor Day, Sept. 6.

The Jockey Club Gold Cup and Flower Bowl Invitational Stakes are both held at Saratoga this year after being held later in September or in October at Belmont Park previously. They offer automatic berths to the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic and the Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, respectively.

Both the Jockey Club Gold Cup and the Flower Bowl Saturday will be shown live on NBCSN as NBC Sports’ Breeders Cup Challenge Series TV coverage resumes. The one-hour broadcast begins at 6 p.m. ET.

The final six days of the NYRA-produced show Saratoga Live start Wednesday, Sept. 1, and end on Labor Day’s summer meet finale which is anchored by the Hopeful Stakes for 2-year-olds. Saratoga Live airs on FS2 and FS1 this coming week – check the below schedule for channels and air times.

All races at Del Mar during its closing run will be shown live on TVG as part of their comprehensive coverage of the Southern California venue’s summer meet, including its wrap-up Labor Day card featuring the Runhappy Del Mar Futurity. In addition, TVG will broadcast racing from Kentucky Downs; that track’s boutique six-day meet presented by FanDuel begins Sunday, Sept. 5 and also features racing on Labor Day this week.

For live streaming options, “Always Be Racing” returns for a new show on Friday, Sept. 3. Hosted by BlackJack Fletcher and Danielle Moinet, the show begins at 3 p.m. ET. “Always Be Racing” can be viewed on ABR's Facebook and Twitter channels as well as BlackJack's Twitter account and Danielle's Twitter account.

ABR's “Saratoga Saturdays” live streaming show wraps up its season on Saturday, Sept. 4 at 9 a.m. ET. The show, hosted by Jonathon Kinchen and Anita Marks, will delve deeply into all things Spa-specific and preview Saturday’s races. “Saratoga Saturdays” can be viewed on ABR’s Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube channels as well as Jonathon’s Twitter account and Anita’s Twitter account.

Later on Saturday, ABR presents “Breeders’ Cup LIVE!” This show covers the Jockey Club Gold Cup and Flower Bowl and will be hosted by Dan Tordjman and Bram Weinstein, who will be joined by Jessica Paquette. The start time for “Breeders’ Cup LIVE!” is 6 p.m. ET. It will be live streamed on ABR’s Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages and also on Breeders’ Cup’s Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages.

The next edition of ABR's “The Winner’s Circle” will air a day later than usual to account for the Labor Day holiday and the final cards at Saratoga and Del Mar. It’s scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 7 at 11 a.m. ET. Presented by NYRA and NYRA Bets and hosted by Bram Weinstein and Dan Tordjman, “The Winner’s Circle” will wrap up the weekend action and look ahead to some big races in September. “The Winner’s Circle” can be viewed on ABR’s Facebook and Twitter channels and Bram Weinstein’s Twitter channel. Archived episodes of “The Winner’s Circle” are available as podcasts via Apple and Spotify.

Here's a rundown of television, live streaming, and radio coverage for the upcoming week:

TV/Live Streaming Schedule

Date

Program

Time

Network/Social Media

Sept. 1

"Saratoga Live"

1 p.m.-6:30 p.m.

FS2

Sept. 1

Live coverage of horse racing

post time varies

TVG

Sept. 2

"Saratoga Live"

1 p.m.-6:30 p.m.

FS2

Sept. 2

Live coverage of horse racing

post time varies

TVG

Sept. 3

"Saratoga Live"

1 p.m.-6:30 p.m.

FS2

Sept. 3

"Always Be Racing"

3 p.m.

Facebook and Twitter

Sept. 3

Live coverage of horse racing

post time varies

TVG

Sept. 4

"Saratoga Saturdays"

9 a.m.

Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube

Sept. 4

"Saratoga Live"

12:30 p.m.-7 p.m.

FS2

Sept. 4

"Breeders' Cup LIVE!"

TBA

Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube

Sept. 4

Broadcast of the Jockey Club Gold Cup and Flower Bowl Stakes

6 p.m.-7 p.m.

NBCSN

Sept. 4

Live coverage of horse racing

post time varies

TVG

Sept. 5

"Saratoga Live"

12:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m.

FS2

Sept. 5

Live coverage of horse racing

post time varies

TVG

Sept. 6

"Saratoga Live"

12:30 p.m.-5 p.m. on FS2, 5 p.m.-6 p.m. on FS1, 6 p.m.-6:30 p.m. on FS2

FS2 and FS1

Sept. 6

Live coverage of horse racing

post time varies

TVG

Sept. 7

"The Winner's Circle"

11 a.m.

Facebook and Twitter

Note: All times listed are Eastern

Radio Schedule

Date Program Time Network
Aug. 31 Broadcast of the Virginia Derby 4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. HRRN
Sept. 1 At The Races with Steve Byk 9 a.m. Thoroughbred Radio Network
Sept. 1 Race Day on HRRN Presented by TwinSpires 3 p.m. HRRN
Sept. 1 Trainer Talk Presented by Fasig-Tipton 6 p.m. HRRN
Sept. 2 At The Races with Steve Byk 9 a.m. Thoroughbred Radio Network
Sept. 2 Race Day on HRRN Presented by TwinSpires 3 p.m. HRRN
Sept. 2 Brisnet Call-in Show 6 p.m. HRRN
Sept. 3 At The Races with Steve Byk 9 a.m. Thoroughbred Radio Network
Sept. 3 Race Day on HRRN Presented by TwinSpires 3 p.m. HRRN
Sept. 3 Weekend Stakes Preview Presented by NYRA Bets 6 p.m. HRRN
Sept. 4 Equine Forum Show 8 a.m. HRRN
Sept. 4 Off to the Races on The Racing Biz Radio Network 10 a.m. ESPN 950 AM
Sept. 4 Broadcast of the Saratoga race card 1 p.m. ESPN 104.5 FM The Team
Sept. 5 Broadcast of the Saratoga race card 1 p.m. ESPN 104.5 FM The Team
Sept. 6 Thoroughbred Post with Les Salzman 5 p.m. www.WEQSN.com

Note: All times listed are Eastern

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