Thoroughbred Racing on NBC
Encyclopedia
Thoroughbred Racing on NBC is the de facto
title for a series of horse races produced and broadcast by NBC Sports
. Among its current personalites are hosts Tom Hammond
and Bob Costas
, along with analyst Gary L. Stevens, handicappers Mike Battaglia
and Bob Neumeier
and reporters Kenny Rice
and Donna Barton Brothers
had broadcast every Breeders' Cup
from its inception in 1984 through 2005. Starting in 2006, ESPN
took over the television contract for 8 years.
won the rights to broadcast the three races in 2001.
agreed to move the Belmont Stakes
to ABC
/ESPN
starting in 2006. The Derby
and Preakness
would remain on NBC.
Also, as of May 21, 2005, the VISA
Credit Card company, officially withdrew their sponsorship of the U.S. Triple Crown, starting in 2006. It relieved them of paying the $
5,000,000 bonus to the owner of the horse that wins the Triple Crown. Triple Crown Productions is now sponsoring the races, as of 2006.
Some believe this was a result of the New York Racing Association
's decision to break with the other two tracks on a television contract. NBC Sports continued to broadcast the Kentucky Derby
and Preakness Stakes
rights until 2010. Triple Crown Productions
was formed in 1986 with ABC; prior to that, the individual racing associations made their own deals with the TV networks.
with NBC were up by over 20 percent. From 2002-2004 the Belmont Stakes
had the highest rating of the series.
's tenure at NBC began in 1984, when he was named as a co-host of the inaugural Breeders' Cup
alongside Dick Enberg
. It was supposed to be a one-shot deal for Hammond, but NBC execs were so impressed, he ended up getting a long-term contract.
On March 24, 2001, under two months before NBC was supposed to broadcast the Kentucky Derby
for the very first time, Hammond underwent an operation for diverticulitis
, a disease that affects the colon. During the surgery, a portion of Hammond's colon was removed. However, even with the short amount of time between the Derby and his operation, Hammond managed to get healthy enough to make his dream of broadcasting his homestate's most famous sporting event become a reality on May 5, 2001.
Hammond wasn't so lucky in October 2002, when he underwent open-heart surgery. He ended up missing the Breeders' Cup that year. Bob Costas
took Hammond's place at the hosting desk. It was the only Breeders' Cup Hammond had not been a part of. Costas was, by the way, already a part of NBC's Triple Crown
and Breeders' Cup coverage, working as mainly the "story set-up man."
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
title for a series of horse races produced and broadcast by NBC Sports
NBC Sports
NBC Sports is the sports division of the NBC television network. Formerly "a service of NBC News," it broadcasts a diverse array of programs, including the Olympic Games, the NFL, the NHL, MLS, Notre Dame football, the PGA Tour, the Triple Crown, and the French Open, among others...
. Among its current personalites are hosts Tom Hammond
Tom Hammond
Tom Hammond is an American sportscaster for NBC Sports television. Hammond is one of the network's staple on-air presenters, along with Bob Costas and Dan Hicks...
and Bob Costas
Bob Costas
Robert Quinlan "Bob" Costas is an American sportscaster, on the air for the NBC network since the early 1980s.-Early life:...
, along with analyst Gary L. Stevens, handicappers Mike Battaglia
Mike Battaglia
Mike Battaglia is an American horse racing analyst, race caller and television broadcaster. He is most closely associated with Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby....
and Bob Neumeier
Bob Neumeier
Robin "Bob" Neumeier is an American sportscaster for NBC Sports and Comcast SportsNet New England, specializing in thoroughbred horse racing. Neumeier is originally from Weymouth, Massachusetts and is a 1972 graduate of Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in television and...
and reporters Kenny Rice
Kenny Rice
Kenny Rice is an American Sportscaster known nationally for his horse racing reporting with NBC and MMA coverage for HDNet.-Biography:Kenny Rice was born July 28, 1956 in McDowell, KY. He grew up in the town of Eastern, and began his career as a disc jockey while in high school for WDOC...
and Donna Barton Brothers
Donna Barton Brothers
Donna Barton Brothers is a former jockey who won over 1100 horse races and serves as an horse-back riding reporter and analyst for NBC Sports Triple Crown coverage and a reporter and analyst for TVG Network. She also exercises horses at Churchill Downs...
Important dates
- 1949: NBC airs the first radio broadcast of the Kentucky DerbyKentucky DerbyThe Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
. - 1981: NBC broadcasts the first million dollar thoroughbred race, the Arlington MillionArlington MillionThe Arlington Million is a Grade 1 flathorse race in the United States for thoroughbred horses aged three years and upward. It is raced over a distance of 1¼ miles on the turf at Arlington Park, Arlington Heights, Illinois in August each year...
. - 1999: NBC Sports earns rights to broadcast the Triple Crown series in 2001.
- 2005: A week after losing the Breeders' CupBreeders' CupThe Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Thoroughbred horse races, most but not all Grade I, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, it expanded to two days. The location...
to ESPN, NBC inks 5 year deals with Churchill DownsChurchill DownsChurchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...
and Magna Entertainment Corp.Magna Entertainment CorporationMI Developments Inc. , formerly known as Magna Entertainment Corp., is a gambling and horse racing company in North America with several holdings in Europe and Australia, and is North America's largest thoroughbred racing company, based on revenue and holdings... - 2010: NBC renews its agreement with Churchill Downs through 2015.
- 2011: NBC Sports earns rights to broadcast the Triple Crown series through 2015.
Breeders' Cup
NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
had broadcast every Breeders' Cup
Breeders' Cup
The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Thoroughbred horse races, most but not all Grade I, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, it expanded to two days. The location...
from its inception in 1984 through 2005. Starting in 2006, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
took over the television contract for 8 years.
The Triple Crown
In October 1999, NBC SportsNBC Sports
NBC Sports is the sports division of the NBC television network. Formerly "a service of NBC News," it broadcasts a diverse array of programs, including the Olympic Games, the NFL, the NHL, MLS, Notre Dame football, the PGA Tour, the Triple Crown, and the French Open, among others...
won the rights to broadcast the three races in 2001.
NBC loses the Belmont Stakes
On October 4, 2004, after citing dispute about profit from the deal the New York Racing AssociationNew York Racing Association
The New York Racing Association, Inc. is the not-for-profit corporation that operates the three largest thoroughbred horse-racing tracks in the state of New York. It runs Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, Queens, Belmont Park in Elmont, Long Island , and Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga...
agreed to move the Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
to ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
/ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
starting in 2006. The Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
and Preakness
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
would remain on NBC.
Also, as of May 21, 2005, the VISA
Visa
Visa or VISA may refer to:* Visa , a document issued by a country's government allowing the holder to enter or to leave that country...
Credit Card company, officially withdrew their sponsorship of the U.S. Triple Crown, starting in 2006. It relieved them of paying the $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
5,000,000 bonus to the owner of the horse that wins the Triple Crown. Triple Crown Productions is now sponsoring the races, as of 2006.
Some believe this was a result of the New York Racing Association
New York Racing Association
The New York Racing Association, Inc. is the not-for-profit corporation that operates the three largest thoroughbred horse-racing tracks in the state of New York. It runs Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, Queens, Belmont Park in Elmont, Long Island , and Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga...
's decision to break with the other two tracks on a television contract. NBC Sports continued to broadcast the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
and Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
rights until 2010. Triple Crown Productions
Triple Crown Productions
Triple Crown Productions was an ad hoc production company that produced the series of Triple Crown races for thoroughbred horses.-Formation:In 1985, a group of people wanted to increase the stature of the Triple Crown on television. Other than the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and Belmont...
was formed in 1986 with ABC; prior to that, the individual racing associations made their own deals with the TV networks.
NBC Reassembles The Triple Crown
On, February 22, 2011 NBC announces deals to broadcast all three races in the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes) through 2015. The deals reunite all three Triple Crown races on NBC for the first time since 2005, and will also include coverage on Versus of the races' Saturday undercards as well as the Kentucky Oaks and Black-Eyed Susan Stakes Friday races.Nielsen ratings
Nielsen ratingsNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
with NBC were up by over 20 percent. From 2002-2004 the Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
had the highest rating of the series.
Announcers
Tom HammondTom Hammond
Tom Hammond is an American sportscaster for NBC Sports television. Hammond is one of the network's staple on-air presenters, along with Bob Costas and Dan Hicks...
's tenure at NBC began in 1984, when he was named as a co-host of the inaugural Breeders' Cup
Breeders' Cup
The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Thoroughbred horse races, most but not all Grade I, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, it expanded to two days. The location...
alongside Dick Enberg
Dick Enberg
Richard Alan "Dick" Enberg is an American sportscaster. He currently provides play-by-play for telecasts of San Diego Padres baseball on 4SD, following a long career calling various sports for such networks as NBC, CBS, and ESPN...
. It was supposed to be a one-shot deal for Hammond, but NBC execs were so impressed, he ended up getting a long-term contract.
On March 24, 2001, under two months before NBC was supposed to broadcast the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
for the very first time, Hammond underwent an operation for diverticulitis
Diverticulitis
Diverticulitis is a common digestive disease particularly found in the large intestine. Diverticulitis develops from diverticulosis, which involves the formation of pouches on the outside of the colon...
, a disease that affects the colon. During the surgery, a portion of Hammond's colon was removed. However, even with the short amount of time between the Derby and his operation, Hammond managed to get healthy enough to make his dream of broadcasting his homestate's most famous sporting event become a reality on May 5, 2001.
Hammond wasn't so lucky in October 2002, when he underwent open-heart surgery. He ended up missing the Breeders' Cup that year. Bob Costas
Bob Costas
Robert Quinlan "Bob" Costas is an American sportscaster, on the air for the NBC network since the early 1980s.-Early life:...
took Hammond's place at the hosting desk. It was the only Breeders' Cup Hammond had not been a part of. Costas was, by the way, already a part of NBC's Triple Crown
Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a Thoroughbred racehorse...
and Breeders' Cup coverage, working as mainly the "story set-up man."