LIVE COVERAGE OF STRUB STAKES TO KICK OFF EXTENSIVE 2001 NTRA 2DAY AT THE RACES SCHEDULE ON ESPN2

Last year's Breeders' Cup Classic winner and leading Horse of the Year contender Tiznow is expected to head a strong Strub Stakes cast when NTRA 2Day at the Races makes its 2001 series debut with a special live telecast from Santa Anita Park on Saturday, February 3 at 6:30 p.m. (ET) on ESPN2. The February 3 opener will also include taped coverage of that day's Grade I Donn Handicap from Gulfstream Park and the San Vicente Stakes, an important Kentucky Derby prep to be contested at Santa Anita Park.

In all, the 2001 NTRA 2Day at the Races schedule includes 10 hours of coverage on ESPN2 spanning 20 air dates between February and December. More than 60 stakes races at some 30 different racetracks are slated to be shown, including such Grade I events as the Metropolitan Mile, the Shoemaker Breeders' Cup Mile, the Woodward Stakes, and the Early Times Hollywood Derby. An assortment of top Quarterhorse races will also be part of the ESPN2 series. ESPN2 reaches more than 74 million households in the United States.

"Considered along with our Citgo Racing to the Kentucky Derby series, this is the finest package of races we have ever put together with the ESPN family of networks," said Keith Chamblin, the NTRA's vice president-industry relations and marketing.

The NTRA 2Day at the Races schedule for the first quarter of 2001 is as follows:

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

Feb. 3 Strub Stakes, Santa Anita, Arcadia, Calif. 6:30-7:00 p.m.
San Vicente Stakes, Santa Anita, Arcadia, Calif.
Donn Handicap, Gulfstream, Hallandale, Fla.

Feb. 25 Las Flores Handicap, Santa Anita, Arcadia, Calif. 1:00-1:30 a.m.
John B. Connally B.C. Turf, Sam Houston Race Park, Houston
Sam Houston Turf Cup Sprint, Sam Houston, Houston
Jersey Lilly Stakes, Sam Houston Race Park, Houston

Mar. 4 Rampart Handicap, Gulfstream, Hallandale, Fla. 11:30 p.m.-12:00 a.m.
San Carlos Handicap, Santa Anita, Arcadia, Calif.
John Battaglia Memorial, Turfway Park, Florence, Ky.
Los Alamitos Winter Championship, Los Alamitos, Los Al., Calif.

Mar. 17 Bonnie Miss Stakes, Gulfstream, Hallandale, Fla. 5:30-6:00 p.m.
Toboggan Handicap, Aqueduct, Ozone Park, N.Y.

Mar. 25 Sportsman's Park B.C. Handicap, Sportsman's Park, Cicero, Ill. 4:30-5:00 p.m.
Cicada Stakes, Aqueduct, Ozone Park, N.Y.
Rushaway Stakes, Turfway Park, Florence, Ky.

The NTRA is a broad-based coalition of Thoroughbred interests, which in addition to racetracks, includes owners, breeders, off-track betting organizations, trainers, jockeys, veterinarians and sales companies, among others. Through membership dues and funding from other horseracing interests, like the American Quarter Horse Association, the NTRA markets, advertises, promotes and televises Thoroughbred racing in North America. It also serves as a catalyst for industry-wide programs benefiting members in group purchasing, telecommunications and technology, consumer research and legislative initiatives. 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. Contact the NTRA at ntra@ntra.com.

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