ALBERT THE GREAT, APTITUDE TAKE "NTRA CHAMPIONS" RACES, ALBERT THE GREAT AND INCLUDE TIED FOR SERIES LEAD

Albert the Great's two-length win in today's Grade II, $500,000 Suburban Handicap at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., earned him six NTRA Champions points in the series' Classic division standings and put him in a tie for the series lead with Include, who finished third behind Albert the Great in the Suburban. Both Albert the Great and Include now have 24 series points.

In the Grade I, $750,000 Hollywood Gold Cup at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif., Aptitude's win via disqualification earned him 10 points, giving him a total of 12 for the series. The series reaches its grand finale on July 28 (CBS, 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET) with the Grade I, $750,000 Whitney Handicap from Saratoga Racecourse in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. With a victory in the Whitney, Albert the Great or Include would win a bonus of $270,000 based on points accumulated to date. With the first-place share of the $750,000 Whitney Handicap purseworth $450,000, a win by Albert the Great or Include would mean a total payday for either horse of $720,000. Though first place in the series is out of reach for Aptitude, he could still win $110,000 in bonus money for winning the Whitney.

The "NTRA Champions" series features 11 key races in Classic (dirt) and Turf division horseracing in the United States. The four-program, five-hour series will include total purse offerings of $5,150,000 plus bonus money for those competing in the Classic division.

Current "NTRA Champions" series points standings (through races of 7/1/01)
Albert the Great 24
Include 24
Tiznow 20
Wooden Phone 18
Captain Steve 14
Guided Tour 14
Aptitude 12
Skimming 12
Exciting Story 10
Traditionally 10
Dixie Dot Com 8
Futural 8
Lido Palace 8
Mr. Ross 8
Duckhorn 6
Peeping Tom 6
Nine tied with: 4

Bonus money at stake should one of the following horses win the Whitney H'cap (worth 10 points)
Albert the Great $270,000 (34 pts. X $5,000, plus $100,000 for being points champion)
Include $270,000 (same formula as that for Albert the Great)
Captain Steve $153,333 (24 pts. X $5,000 plus 1/3 share of $100,000 points leader bonus)
Guided Tour $153,333 (24 pts. X $5,000 plus 1/3 share of $100,000 points leader bonus)
Aptitude $110,000 (22 pts. X $5,000)
Skimming $110,000 (22 pts. X $5,000)

The complete series schedule is as follows (all times Eastern):

Date Races Racetrack Grade/Dist./Surface Airtime (ET)

6/10 $500,000 The Californian* Hollywood Park Gr. II, 1 1/8 mi., dirt 4:00-5:00 p.m.
Result: 1) Skimming, 2) Futural, 3) Aptitude
$400,000 Manhattan Handicap** Belmont Park Gr. I, 1¼ mi. turf
Result: 1) Forbidden Apple, 2) King Cugat, 3) Tijiyr
$250,000 Brooklyn Handicap* Belmont Park Gr. II, 1 1/8 mi., dirt
Result: 1) Albert the Great, 2) Perfect Cat, 3) Top Official

6/16 $750,000 Stephen Foster H'cap* Churchill Downs Gr. II, 1 1/8 mi., dirt 4:30-6:00 p.m.
Result: 1) Guided Tour, 2) Captain Steve, 3) Brahms
$300,000 Dallas Turf Cup H'cap Lone Star Park 1 1/8 mi., turf
Result: 1) El Gran Papa, 2) Dignitas Dancer, 3) Nat's Big Party

7/1 $750,000 Hollywood Gold Cup* Hollywood Park Gr. I, 1¼ mi., dirt 4:30-6:00 p.m.
Result: 1) Aptitude, 2) Skimming, 3) Futural
$500,000 Suburban Handicap* Belmont Park Gr. II, 1¼ mi., dirt
Result: 1) Albert the Great, 2) Lido Palace, 3) Include
$500,000 United Nations H'Cap Monmouth Park Gr. I, 1 3/8 mi., turf
Result: 1) Senure, 2) With Anticipation, 3) Gritty Sandie
$200,000 Stars & Stripes B.C. Turf Arlington Park Gr. III, 1½ mi., turf
Result: 1) Falcon Flight, 2) Langston, 3) Williams News

7/28 $750,000 Whitney Handicap* Saratoga Gr. I, 1 1/8 mi., dirt 3:00-4:00 p.m.
$250,000 Arlington Handicap Arlington Park Gr. III, 1¼ mi., turf

* - top three finishers to earn "NTRA Champions" series bonus points
** - taped from 6/9

The "NTRA Champions" bonus program offers:

• The opportunity for any male, four years of age or older, to earn series points in any graded stakes in the U.S. with an available purse of at least $250,000 and carded to be run at a mile or longer on the dirt between January 1, 2001 and July 28, 2001.
• $100,000 to the top series points earner in the Classic (dirt) division through July 28, provided that horse participates in one of the televised Classic division races on CBS Sports.
• Points-for-cash, based on a top-three finish in the July 28 Whitney Handicap, according to the following formula:

Finishing first in the Whitney: Bonus points X $5,000
Second in the Whitney: Bonus points X $2,000
Third in the Whitney: Bonus points X $1,000

The bonus point structure for all "NTRA Champions" series races is as follows:

Grade I: 10 points for finishing first, 6 points for finishing second, 4 points for third.
Grade II: 6, 4, 2
Grade III: 4, 2, 1

Other races that qualify for "NTRA Champions" series bonus points:

Jan. 13 $250,000 San Fernando Breeders' Cup Handicap (Gr. II), Santa Anita Park
Result: 1) Tiznow, 2) Walkslikeaduck, 3) Wooden Phone

Feb. 3 $500,000 Donn Handicap (Gr. I), Gulfstream Park
Result: 1) Captain Steve, 2) Albert the Great, 3) Gander

Feb. 3 $500,000 Strub Stakes (Gr. II), Santa Anita Park
Result: 1) Wooden Phone, 2) Tiznow, 3) Jimmy Z

Feb. 4 $300,000 San Antonio Handicap (Gr. II), Santa Anita Park
Result: 1) Guided Tour, 2) Lethal Instrument, 3) Moonlight Charger

Mar. 3 $1,000,000 Santa Anita Handicap (Gr. I), Santa Anita Park
Result: 1) Tiznow, 2) Wooden Phone, 3) Tribunal

Mar. 4 $500,000 New Orleans Handicap (Gr. II), Fair Grounds
Result: 1) Include, 2) Nite Dreamer, 3) Valhol

Apr. 7 $600,000 Oaklawn Handicap (Gr. I), Oaklawn Park
Result: 1) Traditionally, 2) Mr. Ross, 3) Wooden Phone

Apr. 28 $300,000 Texas Mile Stakes (Gr. III), Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie
Result: 1) Dixie Dot Com, 2) Mr. Ross, 3) Five Straight

May 12 $750,000 Pimlico Special (Gr. I), Pimlico
Result: 1) Include, 2) Albert the Great, 3) Pleasant Breeze

May 19 $500,000 Hawthorne Gold Cup (Gr. II), Hawthorne
Result: 1) Duckhorn, 2) Lido Palace, 3) Guided Tour

May 28 $300,000 Lone Star Park Handicap (Gr. III), Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie
Result: 1) Dixie Dot Com, 2) Fan the Flame, 3) Big Numbers

May 28 $750,000 Metropolitan Handicap (Gr. I), Belmont Park
Result: 1) Exciting Story, 2) Peeping Tom, 3) Alannan

June 2 $500,000 Massachusetts Handicap (Gr. II), Suffolk Downs
Result: 1) Include, 2) Sir Bear, 3) Broken Vow

July 7 $400,000 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Breeders' Cup H'cap (Gr. III), Prairie Meadows

July 21 $400,000 Washington Park Handicap (Gr. II), Arlington Park

Last year's running of the Whitney Stakes featured a memorable two-length victory by Lemon Drop Kid over such top horses as Cat Thief, Behrens, Running Stag and Golden Missile. Lemon Drop Kid would go on to win a 2000 Eclipse Award as Champion Older Male. In 1999, Victory Gallop also used a victory in the Whitney as a springboard to an Eclipse Award as Champion Older Male. In 1998, Awesome Again took the Whitney in a campaign that ended with a win in the Breeders' Cup Classic.

CBS Sports broadcast the Arlington Citation Challenge in 1996 and the Grade I Go For Wand Handicap, the Grade I Caesars International Handicap and the Grade II Reeve Schley Jr. Stakes in 1994. CBS Sports has also broadcast the Belmont Stakes, the Travers Stakes, the Woodward Stakes, the Jockey Club Gold Cup and the Marlboro Cup.

The NTRA is a broad-based coalition of horseracing interests, including the American Quarter Horse Association, charged with increasing awareness of Thoroughbred racing and improving economic conditions for industry participants. The NTRA also conducts the Breeders' Cup, Thoroughbred racing's year-end Championship consisting of eight races and $13 million in purses and awards, and the Breeders' Cup National Stakes Program, which are funded by the industry's owners and breeders. The NTRA has offices in Lexington, Ky., and New York City. A compendium of NTRA press releases appears on the NTRA Web site, ntra.com, and at the Web site for the Breeders' Cup Championship, breederscup.com. Contact the NTRA at ntra@ntra.com.