Off to the Races radio: Easter, Kelly featured
Photo by The Racing Biz.
Off to the Races returns Saturday, February 29, with a lively program focused on Thoroughbred racing and breeding from Virginia, the Mid-Atlantic, and around the country.
The weekly radio show, which airs on the ESPN Richmond (VA) family of stations, and is available everywhere via livestreaming, returns for its 21st season, starting February 22. Terrestrial stations include 99.5 FM, 102.7 FM, and 950 AM. It will continue through August 29.
The program will air each Saturday morning from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. It will also be archived on theracingbiz.com and espnrichmond.com.
Saturday’s guests include Debbie Easter, presidet of the Virginia Equine Alliance and executive director of the Virginia Thoroughbred Association, and author Jennifer Kelly, whose first book was Sir Barton and the making of the Triple Crown. She currently is at work on her second book and also writes a monthly column, BackTracks, on The Racing Biz.
“We are excited to bring Off to the Races back for another great season talking Thoroughbred racing and breeding,” said Frank Vespe, host of the program and owner of The Racing Biz (www.theracingbiz.com), which develops the program.
In 2019, on a similar schedule, Off to the Races had a wide-ranging roster of top-notch guests. They included last year’s Preakness-winning trainer Mark Casse; Hall of Fame jockey and Triple Crown winner Ron Turcotte; trainer Graham Motion, who has won numerous Breeders’ Cup races; and many others.
The show also featured regular visits from racing analyst Nick Hahn and Derby Bill Watson, who gained fame as the original on-air handicapper for Colonial Downs. Both will be back in 2020.
LATEST BUSINESS NEWS
MHBA to host Handicapping 101 session
The Maryland Horse Breeders Association (MHBA) will host a free Handicapping 101 event October 28 to get you ready for Breeders’ Cup.
Big WVBC gets Arnaldo Bocachica jockey of the week
With five stakes wins Saturday on WVBC night at Charles Town, jockey Arnaldo Bocachica earned Jockeys’ Guild jockey of the week honors.
WV Breeders Classics publishes 2nd volume of history
West Virginia Breeders Classics Ltd., announced Oct. 7 that it had published second volume of its history.
Cathy Schmidt to receive Joe Kelly Unsung Hero Award
Cathy Schmidt, founder and Executive Director of Chesapeake Therapeutic Riding, has been selected as the 2024 Joe Kelly Unsung Hero Award recipient.
Maryland-breds fared well at Fasig-Tipton yearling sale
The average value of Maryland-breds sold at Tuesday’s Fasig-Tipton yearling sale was up over 8% from 2023, helping the sale to hold its own.
Smaller Fasig-Tipton yearling sale topped by Maryland-bred
A slimmed down Fasig-Tipton Midlantic fall yearling sale saw the average hold steady and the median rise and was topped by a Maryland-bred filly.