Megan Connolly interviewed Robert Waley-Cohen, then the chairman of Cheltenham Racecourse, at last year's Far Hills Races. (Tod Marks photo)
The Far Hills Races will have an international cast of horses, owners, jockeys, and trainers on Saturday, and the races will be available for viewing and betting worldwide.
The Far Hills broadcast can be accessed from the New Jersey meet’s website, www.farhillsrace.org or the National Steeplechase Association’s home page, www.nationalsteeplechase.com.
The Far Hills broadcast will feature well-known TV-racing host Megan Connolly and acclaimed race announcers and commentators Mark Johnson and Tony Bentley.
Connolly is the host of the weekly NSA Network broadcasts of NSA races. She also has provided live commentary at several race meets, including the Iroquois Steeplechase, the Virginia Gold Cup, and the International Gold Cup. She formerly was a TV commentator for Gulfstream Park and Hialeah Park.
Johnson, who brings a thorough knowledge of overseas jump racing to the broadcast, has the distinction of being the only announcer to call both the Epsom Derby and the Kentucky Derby. He also has called the Cheltenham Festival and the Grand National at Aintree.
Bentley, the longtime leading race-caller for steeplechase race meets, served as the announcer at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans for 27 years. With the growth of New Orleans’ film industry, he developed additional skills as an actor and has appeared in several acclaimed movies. He also is frequently called up to sing the National Anthem at race meets.
Overseas outlets also will broadcast the $450,000 Grand National (Gr. 1), one of the world’s richest steeplechase races. In Ireland, Sky Sports is the broadcast channel via Sky (channel 415) or Virgin Media (channel 535) (Sky Ireland, Media Ireland, Vodafone, or Eir). Far Hills also will be live-streamed on www.attheraces.com and the Tote site.
Far Hills will conduct its second year of pari-mutuel wagering under Monmouth Park’s license, and betting will be available at more than 1,000 outlets worldwide that are contracted to conduct wagering on Monmouth’s races.
Three Far Hills races also will be a part of the New York Racing Association’s Belmont Park-Far Hills Cross Country Pick-5. The Far Hills races included in the wager are the $100,000 Foxbrook Champion Hurdle, the $50,000 New Jersey Hunt Cup on the flat, and the Grand National.
The wager will be available at all betting outlets that conduct betting on NYRA races, including but not limited to NYRA Bets customers. For further information, visit www.NYRA.com/CrossCountry.