Forwarding: NBC SPORTS GROUP PRESENTS 14 HOURS OF KENTUCKY DERBY COVERAGE; MORE THAN 6 HOURS OF BELMONT STAKES COVERAGE

NBC SPORTS GROUP PRESENTS 14 HOURS OF KENTUCKY DERBY COVERAGE

 

Coverage From Churchill Downs Begins Wednesday, May 4 and Continues All Week on NBC and VERSUS

 

In All, NBC Sports Group Presents 27 Hours of Horse Racing’s Triple Crown

 

“Sunday Night Football” Producer Fred Gaudelli and Director Drew Esocoff Lead NBC Sports Group Production

 

Larry Collmus, Laffit Pincay III, Randy Moss, Jay Privman, Maria Menounos, Jenna Wolfe Added to Coverage

 

NEW YORK – April 27, 2011 – The NBC Sports Group will present 14 hours of Kentucky Derby coverage beginning on Wednesday, May 4 at 4 p.m. ET on VERSUS and culminating with the 137^th running of the Kentucky Derby on NBC, Saturday, May 7 beginning at 4 p.m. ET.

 

The expanded Kentucky Derby coverage, which includes eight hours on Derby Day on NBC and VERSUS, will include many new elements:

 

• Live coverage of the Kentucky Derby Draw, which will determine the post positions

• Additional commentators including a new race caller, Larry Collmus
• New production team
• 11 total hours on VERSUS, now part of the NBC Sports Group, including live coverage of the Kentucky Oaks and Derby Day races
• Three hours of “Derby Classics” (Smarty Jones, Barbaro, Mine That Bird) to air on VERSUS

 

27 HOURS OF TRIPLE CROWN COVERAGE: The NBC Sports Group will present 27 hours of Triple Crown coverage this season from Churchill Downs, Pimlico and Belmont, including additional “classics” from the Preakness and Belmont, live racing from all three tracks prior to the three Triple Crown races and post-race coverage of the Preakness and Belmont on VERSUS.  This marks the first time that all three races will be on one network since NBC last aired the Triple Crown in 2005. 

 

COMENTATORS: The NBC Sports Group coverage of the Kentucky Derby will once again feature co-hosts Bob Costas, a 21-time Emmy Award-winner, and veteran NBC Sports commentator Tom Hammond; three-time Kentucky Derby winner Gary Stevens; contributing analysts/handicappers Mike Battaglia and Bob Neumeier; reporter Kenny Rice and on-track reporter Donna Brothers.

 

Added for this year’s expanded coverage are race caller Larry Collmus, the track announcer at Gulfstream Park and Monmouth Raceway who replaces Tom Durkin; Laffit Pincay, III, son of Hall-of-Fame jockey Laffit Pincay, Jr., will host the coverage on VERSUS; veteran horse racing analyst Randy Moss; the Daily Racing Form’s Jay Privman; TODAY Show’s Jenna Wolfe will contribute features; and Access Hollywood’s Maria Menounos will handle celebrity interviews. 

 

PRODUCTION TEAM: The coverage on NBC Sports will be produced by Fred Gaudelli and directed by Drew Esocoff, NBC’s Emmy Award-winning “Sunday Night Football” production team. The VERSUS coverage will be produced by Rob Hyland, who has worked on the network’s horse racing coverage since 2001 and also produces NBC Sports’ Notre Dame Football, and directed by “NHL on NBC” director Jeff Simon. The executive producer of NBC Sports and VERSUS is Sam Flood who has produced 11 Triple Crown races for the network.

 

FLOOD ON NBC SPORTS GROUP COMMENTATORS: “We have had the premier broadcast team for NBC Sports’ Triple Crown races in place for years with Bob, Tom, Gary, Mike, Neumy, Kenny and Donna.  Now, as we significantly expand our coverage on VERSUS, we are fortunate to add Laffit, Randy, Jay, Jenna and Maria to the team, along with Larry, who is a tremendous race caller.”

 

FLOOD ON PRODUCTION TEAM: “Fred Gaudelli is one of the most talented and dedicated producers in television sports.  He and director Drew Esocoff set the gold standard for NFL coverage and will bring that same passion to covering the Triple Crown.  We are lucky to have them for the Derby, Preakness and Belmont.”

 

NBC SPORTS GROUP TRIPLE CROWN COVERAGE (All Times ET):

 

KENTUCKY DERBY

Wed. May 4, Derby Classics – Smarty Jones,   4-5 p.m., VERSUS

Wed. May 4, Kentucky Derby Draw, 5-6 p.m., VERSUS

Thurs. May 5, Derby Classics – Barbaro, 4-5 p.m., VERSUS

Thurs. May 5, Live from Churchill Downs, 5-6 p.m., VERSUS

Fri. May 6, Derby Classics – Mine That Bird, 4-5 p.m., VERSUS

Fri. May 6, Kentucky Oaks, 5-6 p.m., VERSUS

Sat. May 7, Live from Churchill Downs, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., VERSUS

Sat. May 7, Kentucky Derby, 4-7 p.m., NBC

 

PREAKNESS STAKES

Fri. May 20, Preakness Classics, 3-4 p.m., VERSUS

Fri. May 20, Black Eyed Susan Stakes, 4-5 p.m., VERSUS

Sat. May 21, Live from Pimlico, 2:30-4:30 p.m., VERSUS

Sat. May 21, Preakness Stakes, 4:30-6:30 p.m., NBC

Sat. May 21, Preakness Wrap-up, 6:30-7 p.m., VERSUS

 

BELMONT STAKES

Fri. June 10, Belmont Classics, 4-5 p.m., VERSUS

Fri. June 10, Live from Belmont, 5-6 p.m., VERSUS

Sat. June 11, Live from Belmont, 3-5 p.m., VERSUS

Sat. June 11, Belmont Stakes, 5-7 p.m., NBC

Sat. June 11, Belmont Wrap-up, 7-7:30 p.m.,   VERSUS

 

NBC SPORTS AND HORSE RACING: The NBC Sports Group is now the exclusive home to Horse Racing’s Triple Crown.  This marks the first time that all three races will be on one network since NBC last aired the Triple Crown in 2005.  NBC has been the exclusive home of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes since 2001.

 

KENTUCKY DERBY: In the 10 years that Churchill Downs and NBC Sports have been together the event has experienced remarkable growth. The Kentucky Derby is now seen by 7.4 million more viewers than the last Kentucky Derby broadcast by ABC in 2000 (16.5 million vs. 9.1 million, up 51 percent).

 

The shared vision of Churchill Downs and NBC Sports’ successful ‘Big Event Strategy’ to assemble the broadest possible audience led to the 2010 Kentucky Derby being the most-watched Kentucky Derby in 21 years, in addition to the year prior which was the most-watched Derby in 20 years.  Last year’s Kentucky Derby averaged 16.5 million viewers, the most watched Kentucky Derby since 1989 when Sunday Silence won the Derby (18.5 million).

 

PREAKNESS STAKES: Since NBC Sports began broadcasting the Preakness in 2001, every Preakness telecast on NBC over that period attracted more viewers than any Preakness telecast on ABC in the previous seven years.  Viewership for the Preakness is up an average of 69% in the 10 years on NBC compared to the previous seven years on ABC.

 

BELMONT STAKES: NBC Sports broadcast the Belmont from 2001-05, including three straight years in which the Belmont had a Triple Crown at stake.  The 2004 Belmont featuring Smarty Jones racing for the Triple Crown was seen by 21.9 million viewers, the most for a Belmont broadcast since Seattle Slew captured the elusive Triple Crown in 1977.

 

Since its involvement in the Triple Crown, NBC Sports has been honored with 11 Eclipse Awards for its thoroughbred racing coverage, Preakness (2002-03-05-06-08), Kentucky Derby (2007), Belmont (2004) and Breeder's Cup (2001).  Additionally, NBC Sports has won three Eclipse Awards in the features category: 2002 on War Emblem (Preakness broadcast), 2005 Afleet Alex (Kentucky Derby broadcast) and 2009 Mine That Bird (Preakness broadcast), and the 2005 and 2006 Preakness broadcasts were nominated for the Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Sports Special.

 

 

--NBC SPORTS GROUP--

 

Adam Freifeld
Senior Director, Communications
adam.freifeld@nbcuni.com
O- 212.664.6772; C- 917.597.7762