LIVE TELECAST OF SANTA ANITA DERBY HIGHLIGHTS 2001 CITGO RACING TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY SERIES

The Santa Anita Derby, the Wood Memorial and the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes are just a few of the major Kentucky Derby prep races to be televised live as part of the 2001 Citgo Racing to the Kentucky Derby series. Released today by NTRA Productions, the schedule includes 15 races over eight one-hour shows.

New to the schedule in 2001 are the Turfway Spiral Stakes, the Wood Memorial, the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes and the Arkansas Derby (formerly on ABC), the Santa Anita Derby (formerly on FOX), the Risen Star Stakes and the Illinois Derby. The series kicks off on February 18 with coverage on ESPN2 of the Risen Star Stakes from Fair Grounds in New Orleans, and concludes with a one-hour Triple Crown special on April 29.

Also featured on the series is expanded, tape-delayed coverage of the Fountain of Youth Stakes, the Florida Derby and the San Felipe Stakes. All programs will air on either ESPN (audience: 78 million households) or ESPN2 (74 million households). Another important Kentucky Derby prep, the February 3 San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita, will be seen on ESPN2 as part of the NTRA 2Day at the Races series.

"This year's Citgo Racing to the Kentucky Derby series will feature more important three-year-old races than we have ever shown before," said Keith Chamblin, the NTRA's vice president-industry relations and marketing. "NTRA Productions and our friends at ESPN and ESPN2 worked until the eleventh hour to put together an outstanding package from tracks across the country for racing fans to enjoy. We're also delighted to have secured Citgo as the title sponsor for the series."

The complete Citgo Racing to the Kentucky Derby schedule is as follows:

Date Network Event(s) and Location(s) Airtime (ET)

Feb. 18 ESPN2 Risen Star Stakes, Fair Grounds, New Orleans 5:00-6:00 p.m.
Fountain of Youth Stakes, Gulfstream, Hallandale, Fla. (tape)

Mar. 11 ESPN2 Louisiana Derby, Fair Grounds, New Orleans 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Florida Derby, Gulfstream, Hallandale, Fla. (tape)
El Camino Real Derby, Golden Gate Fields, Albany, Calif. (tape)

Mar. 18 ESPN2 Gotham Stakes, Aqueduct, Ozone Park, N.Y. 4:00-5:00 p.m.
San Felipe Stakes, Santa Anita, Arcadia, Calif. (tape)

Mar. 24 ESPN Turfway Spiral Stakes, Turfway Park, Florence, Ky. 4:00-5:00 p.m.

Apr. 7 ESPN Santa Anita Derby, Santa Anita, Arcadia, Calif. 5:00-6:00 p.m.
Illinois Derby, Sportsman's Park, Cicero, Ill.
Lone Star Derby, Lone Star Park, Grand Prairie, Tex.

Apr. 14 ESPN Wood Memorial, Aqueduct, Ozone Park, N.Y. 5:00-6:00 p.m.
Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, Keeneland, Lexington, Ky.
Arkansas Derby, Oaklawn Park, Hot Springs, Ark.

Apr. 21 ESPN2 Coolmore Lexington Stakes, Keeneland, Lexington, Ky. 5:00-6:00 p.m.

Apr. 29 ESPN Triple Crown Special 2:00-3:00 p.m.