At a time when the number of horse races in the country is shrinking due to the coronavirus pandemic, television programs centered around the race are developing.

And starting Wednesday, “American Day in Races” will finally be able to show who is in his own backyard again. The broadcast produced by the New York Racing Association (NYRA) in partnership with Fox Sports – broadcast on Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2 and locally on MSG Plus – will be the only way to see the race back in Belmont without fan Park.

“Hats off to the production team at NYRA,” NYRA chief of income and NYRA Bets president Tony Allevato said in a telephone interview. “Performances are difficult for us to produce as they are, and can then do it during a pandemic with a small portion of the staff that we usually have because the existing social distance protocol is truly an amazing thing that the team is able to do. I am very proud of them. It was very difficult, we did programming five to six hours per day with a quarter of the staff we had for a normal two-hour show. But everyone is truly united. “

Since the last race in New York was run on Aqueduct on March 15, “American Day in Races” has been on air. This has filled the time showing races of tracks that remain open through pandemics, such as the Tampa Bay Downs in Florida and Oaklawn Park in Arkansas, before adding Churchill Downs when it reopens in May.

There are 10-15 people who work on the production of the show, according to Allevato, with talent who work from home and remotely in other locations.

Last week, analysts Andy Serling and Maggie Wolfendale and former jockey Richard Migliore were able to return to Belmont Park – sitting separately – for the show. The broadcasting team includes hosts Greg Wolf, Serling, Wolfendale, Migliore and Acacia Courtney, among others, with Wednesday coverage set for 1-6 nights. on MSG Plus.

“Even now at Belmont, we will obey very strict rules,” Allevato said. “Our talent will not be allowed on the paddock. When people don’t use cameras, they will wear masks. Whatever interview is conducted will be conducted with a boom mic so that they can keep a distance of 6 feet from the person we interviewed. “

Even though Wolfendale, a paddock analyst, won’t really be on paddock, he hopes his analysis will stay the same.

“I think we will expose people to some competition that they never knew existed in sports racing for ordinary fans,” Wolfendale said, referring to battles such as “blue collar” Mind Control versus “Raised Queen” actors on Saturday. Runhappy Carter Handicap at Belmont Park. “It has been lost for years because of the type of horse racing falling into backburners.”

Allevato said being on FS1, especially when most of the other sports were still closed, had given the opportunity to reach a larger audience. Because of this, he has made special coverage to remember that not all viewers are diligent fans of horse racing.

That also includes placing extra emphasis on NYRA betting, because the online betting platform has run promotions to encourage viewers to register with the account. Usually their biggest day for registering an account is the Kentucky Derby day and that remains true this year, even without the Triple Crown first leg running.

“On that day, we had three times the number of people who opened accounts compared to the previous year on the Kentucky Derby day, which is an extraordinary number,” Allevato said. “So the audience is very, very involved. I think people are hopefully returning to horse racing. “