EAST RUTHERFORD,
N.J. - CBS Sports Network will present a 90-minute telecast of the $1
million Hambletonian, live from The Meadowlands Racetrack, East Rutherford,
N.J., on Sat., Aug. 4, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. [EDT] The Hambletonian is the first
and most prestigious leg of the Trotting Triple Crown.
CBS Sports
Network, which has been the broadcast home of the Hambletonian since 2012, also
will air the $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks, and provide coverage of the $286,650
John Cashman Memorial Trot, featuring Horse of the Year Hannelore Hanover and
2016 Hambletonian and Triple Crown champion Marion Marauder.
“We are proud to continue the 40-year tradition of televising the Hambletonian,” said John Campbell, president and CEO of the Hambletonian Society. “Daytime harness racing is an exciting and colorful sport and I believe every year harness racing fans of all levels anticipate and expect to watch the Hambletonian on the first Saturday of August.
“Along with our broadcast partners the New Meadowlands and the United States Trotting Association, we remain committed to giving fans an entertaining and exciting TV option.”
The on-air team
for the Hambletonian is a stellar trio of award-winning harness racing
veterans. Gary Seibel, a former host of racing coverage on ESPN, NBC, CBS and
TVG, will anchor the coverage. A member of harness racing's Communicators Hall
of Fame, Seibel will be appearing on his 26th straight Hambletonian broadcast.
Dave Brower, one
of harness racing's most respected handicappers, will co-anchor. Brower, a
staple of The Meadowlands airwaves, hosts the nightly broadcast of
"Racing from the Meadowlands" as well as the SportsNet NY Meadowlands
live television programs. Brower is an alumnus of Fox Sports New York, MSG
Networks and TVG's "Drive Time". He is the author of the bestseller Harnessing
Winners: The Complete Guide to Handicapping Harness Races.
New to the Hambletonian coverage this year is Canada’s Greg Blanchard. Blanchard will provide pre-and-post race interviews, along with information from the backstretch throughout the day. The Director of Racing at Ontario-based Western Fair for the past eight seasons, Blanchard has previously worked for Woodbine Entertainment Group in Toronto as a television commentator, hosting both network and simulcast broadcasts for both Standardbred and thoroughbred breeds and also served as Manager of Media Communications for the Standardbred division.
Emmy Award winner Mike Trager and the Trager Group have been executive producers of the Hambletonian broadcasts for the past 26 years. The award winning team will be lead by producer Peter Lasser and director David Newman, both Hambletonian and harness racing broadcast veterans.
Meadowlands announcer Ken Warkentin will provide his racing expertise and race call.
The 93rd Hambletonian show will re-air Saturday night, Aug. 4 at 8:30 p.m. [EDT].
CBS Sports Network,
the 24-hour home of CBS Sports, is available across the country in more than 99
million homes nationwide. CBS Sports Network televises nearly 600 live events
and over 3,000 hours of live programming every year including live college
football, college basketball, and more from the MW, AAC, Big East, C-USA, A-10,
Army, Navy, and the Patriot League. CBSSN is also the home to Professional Bull
Riding and Arena Football League. For more information, and to access the CBS
Sports Network channel finder, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.
