FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, November 1st, 2017

ARROGATE & GUN RUNNER LEAD STAR-STUDDED FIELD IN BREEDERS’ CUP CLASSIC LIVE THIS SAT., NOV. 4, AT 8 PM ET ON NBC

Bob Costas Hosts Breeders’ Cup Classic for First Time

NBC Sports Group to Debut ‘Jockey Cam’ Mounted on the Helmet of Mike Smith, Breeders’ Cup’s All-Time Leader in Jockey Wins

NBC Sports Group Televises all 13 Breeders’ Cup World Championship Races Live in 11 Hours of Coverage from Del Mar this Fri., Nov. 3 & Sat., Nov. 4

Coverage Streamed Live on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app

STAMFORD, Conn. – November 1, 2017 – Arrogate, the career earnings leader for North American-based horses ($17.3 million), and Gun Runner lead a star-studded field for the running of the 34th Breeders’ Cup Classic live from Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., this Saturday, Nov. 4, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

Arrogate, the second choice in the morning line odds at 2-1,is the defending Classic champion, and will appear in his final race before retirement this Saturday. His Triple Crown-winning trainer, Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, looks for an unprecedented fourth consecutive Breeders’ Cup Classic win. Gun Runner, the 9-5 morning line favorite, is on a three-race winning streak. The field also features Collected, a winner in eight of his 11 lifetime starts, Mubtaahij, second-place finisher to California Chrome in the 2016 Dubai World Cup, and 2017 Travers Stakes winner West Coast, who are all trained by Baffert. Aidan O’Brien, one of Europe’s most successful trainers, brings two challengers into the Classic: Churchill and War Decree.

The running of the 34th Breeders’ Cup Classic culminates 11 hours of Breeders’ Cup World Championships coverage this week on NBC and NBCSN from Del Mar, including live coverage of all 13 Breeders’ Cup World Championship races.

NBCSN’s coverage of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships begins this Thursday, Nov. 2, at 1 p.m. ET with handicapping special “Betting the Breeders’ Cup,” and continues Friday, Nov. 3, at 5 p.m. ET, culminating with a 6.5-hour show on Saturday, Nov. 4, at 1:30 p.m. ET.

2017 BREEDERS’ CUP TELEVISION SCHEDULE: 

Date Time (ET) Program Network
Thurs., Nov. 2 1 p.m. Betting the Breeders’ Cup NBCSN
Fri., Nov. 3 5 p.m. Breeders’ Cup World Championships NBCSN
Sat., Nov. 4 1:30 p.m. Breeders’ Cup Classic NBCSN
Sat., Nov. 4 8 p.m. Breeders’ Cup Classic NBC

 

COMMENTATORS: Bob Costas makes his Breeders’ Cup debut, hosting coverage on NBC. Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey, who owns 15 Breeders’ Cup wins, including five victories in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, serves as an analyst along with Randy Moss; host/reporters Laffit Pincay, III and Nick Luck; and reporters Kenny Rice, Donna Brothers, Jay Privman, and Britney Eurton. NBC’s Triple Crown race caller Larry Collmus will call all of the Breeders’ Cup races. Daily Racing Form’s Matt Bernier will serve as a handicapper.

COSTAS, BAILEY & MOSS ON BREEDERS’ CUP

Bob Costas: “The Kentucky Derby and the Triple Crown have a character all their own. But when it comes to pure quality from the first race to the last, nothing compares to the Breeders’ Cup.”

Jerry Bailey: “Can’t wait for the Breeders’ Cup Classic to see if Arrogate can become only the second horse in history to win back-to-back Classics. From post position one, he will need to outduel Gun Runner, who seems to have wrested the mantle of the best older dirt horse in the world from last year’s champion. It should be a ‘Classic.’”

Randy Moss: “Arrogate vs. Gun Runner has the potential to be as good as Arrogate vs. California Chrome last year, and I thought that was one of the best Breeders’ Cup Classics in history. It’ll be a great way to wrap up a weekend on the beach.”

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For the first time, coverage of the Breeders’ Cup this weekend will include a ‘Jockey Cam’ mounted on the helmet of the Breeders’ Cup’s all-time leader in jockey wins, Mike Smith. Footage from the Jockey Cam powered by Aston-Martin will be incorporated into NBC and NBCSN Breeders’ Cup coverage on Friday, November 3, and Saturday, November 4, from Del Mar, Calif., and will be live streamed by Breeders’ Cup’s official website and social channels, on the newly developed Breeders’ Cup mobile app, as well as on NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app.

The 74-gram (2.6 ounces) camera, which was produced by the U.K.-based Equine Productions and delivers full HD pictures and live broadcast-ready streaming at 1080I, will be mounted on the helmet of Smith, the winner of last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic on Arrogate, during select races.

NBC Sports Group’s Breeders’ Cup coverage will be produced by Billy Matthews.

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs – will stream coverage of the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The NBC Sports app will stream coverage via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value to their subscription service, and making high-quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. Powered by Playmaker Media, the NBC Sports app is available on Apple iOS, Android and select Samsung devices, as well as on Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Win10, and Xbox.

BREEDERS’ CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: The Breeders’ Cup, thoroughbred racing’s most prestigious global racing event, consists of 13 races held over two-days with $28 million in purses and awards at stake.  The culminating event of the Breeders’ Cup, the Breeders’ Cup Classic, is contested at 1 ¼ miles on the main track, for 3-year-olds and older, and is often the determining race for the coveted Horse of the Year title. Over the years, 12 Classic winners have been voted Horse of the Year.

Breeders’ Cup Limited administers the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred racing’s year-end Championships.  The Breeders’ Cup also administers the Breeders’ Cup Challenge qualifying series, which provides automatic starting positions into the Championships races. Breeders’ Cup press releases appear on the Breeders’ Cup Web site, www.breederscup.com. You can also follow the Breeders’ Cup on social media platforms FacebookTwitter and YouTube.

NBC SPORTS GROUP AND HORSE RACING: NBC Sports Group is the exclusive home to the most important and prestigious events in horse racing, including the Triple Crown and the Breeders’ Cup. NBC has been the exclusive home of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes since 2001, and the Belmont Stakes since 2011, when the NBC Sports Group reassembled the Triple Crown.

–NBC SPORTS GROUP–