New York, NY, September 25, 2008 – MSG Plus, in partnership with New York Racing Association (NYRA), announced today that for the first time the network will telecast the Jockey Club Gold Cup live from Belmont Park on Saturday, September 27 at 5:30 p.m. The frontrunner for this year’s 90th running of the $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup is Curlin, arguably the top thoroughbred in the world, who is chasing one more big win to become racing’s first $10 million horse.

“On the heels of televising the Woodward Stakes, we are excited to provide racing fans with live coverage of the Jockey Club Gold Cup on MSG Plus this Saturday,” stated Lydia Murphy-Stephans, executive vice president of programming and production, MSG Media. “This continues our commitment to offer New York area sports fans coverage of a variety of first-rate sporting events, and adds to our expanding lineup of premier horse racing programming.”

MSG Plus will telecast the race live from 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and give viewers a close-up look at famed Belmont Park, while covering all the Jockey Club Gold Cup action from the horses being saddled to the winner’s circle celebrations. Jason Blewitt, Eric Donovan and Jan Rushton will be joined by retired Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens to provide commentary for the telecast. The network’s coverage of the Jockey Club Gold Cup adds to the slate of horse racing programming on MSG Plus and sister network MSG. In addition to televising live racing action, including last month’s Woodward Stakes, which aired live on MSG, MSG Plus currently telecasts “Belmont Park in 30,” a daily half-hour race-replay show, and “Thoroughbred Weekly,” a weekly half-hour show including timely features and races of the week.

“We are thrilled to be working with our partner MSG in presenting the Jockey Club Gold Cup on the biggest day of the Belmont Park Fall Championship Meeting,” NYRA president and CEO Charles Hayward said. “Through the MSG Plus telecast, sports fans will get to know one of our sport’s biggest stars, Curlin, and will get to see our magnificent sports venue, Belmont Park.”

Reigning Horse of the Year Curlin is the No. 1 Thoroughbred in the world according to the British racing publication Timeform. The four-year-old chestnut is a winner of 10 of his 14 starts, including victories on two continents. Curlin has won $9,796,800, just shy of Cigar’s all-time mark of $9,999,815.

Curlin, however, has proven that he is more than up to the task. He won the 1¼-mile Jockey Club Gold Cup last year as a three-year-old by a neck over Lawyer Ron. A win on Saturday not only gives him the money title, it also could nail down a second consecutive Horse of the Year title. But just as in last year’s Gold Cup when the brash three year old Curlin knocked off top older horse Lawyer Ron, fresh from victory in the Woodward Stakes, a hot three year old named Mambo in Seattle will attempt to knock off top older horse Curlin, who also comes in fresh from winning this year’s Woodward. Mambo in Seattle won a minor stakes at Saratoga and then, in one of the most memorable Travers ever, dueled the highly touted Colonel John, head to head, neck to neck, nose to nose, down to the wire. ESPN called Mambo in Seattle the winner, his jockey shock his whip in the air in elation, but the photo finish camera would reveal that as the horse heads were bobbing at the wire, Mambo in Seattle had come up short by about a quarter inch.

The honor role of Jockey Club Gold Cup winners includes Man o’ War, Whirlaway, five time winner Kelso, Forego, Affirmed, John Henry, current leading money winner Cigar, third all time money winner Skip Away, Mineshaft, and Funny Cide.