THOROUGHBRED CLASSICS RETURNS APRIL 11 ON ESPN CLASSIC

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) has announced that Thoroughbred Classics Presented by the NTRA will make its 2001 debut with a retrospective on the Blue Grass Stakes, Wednesday, April 11 on ESPN Classic. Thoroughbred Classics Presented by the NTRA is produced by NTRA Productions in association with ESPN.

Hosted by Jim McKay and Jack Whitaker, the half-hour programs will feature performers and personalities from America's most storied races. Each of the 17 shows on tap for this year will reflect on the race's history and preview its 2001 running. The spring/summer schedule for Thoroughbred Classics Presented by the NTRA is as follows (all times Eastern):

Blue Grass Stakes
April 11 6:30 p.m.
April 12 7:00 a.m.
April 13 9:30 a.m.
April 13 5:30 p.m.

Kentucky Derby
May 2 6:30 p.m.
May 3 7:00 a.m.
May 4 9:30 a.m.
May 4 5:30 p.m.

Preakness Stakes
May 16 6:30 p.m.
May 17 7:00 a.m.
May 18 9:30 a.m.
May 18 5:30 p.m.

Belmont Stakes
June 6 6:30 p.m.
June 7 7:00 a.m.
June 8 9:30 a.m.
June 8 5:30 p.m.

Future shows, which will also air four times each, are: Haskell, Sword Dancer, Arlington Million, Travers, Woodward, Spinster and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, Juvenile, Mile, Sprint, Distaff, Turf and Classic.

ESPN Classic is a 24-hour, all sports network devoted to telecasting the greatest games, stories, heroes and memories in the history of sports. ESPN Classic presents programming for the NFL, the NBA, the NHL, NASCAR, boxing-including the ESPN Big Fights library-tennis, golf, the Olympics, college football, college basketball and others. ESPN Classic is a wholly owned subsidiary of ESPN, The Worldwide Leader in Sports.

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.