FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 15th, 2019

FOLLOWING DRAMATIC KENTUCKY DERBY, NBC SPORTS PRESENTS 144th PREAKNESS STAKES THIS SAT., MAY 18 AT 5 PM ET ON NBC

Coverage from Pimlico Begins This Friday at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN & Continues Saturday at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Gary West, Owner of Maximum Security, Who Was Disqualified in Kentucky Derby, Expected for Live On-Set Interview 

Triple-Crown Winning Jockey Mike Smith Returns on Likely Favorite Improbable, Trained by Two-Time Triple Crown Winner Bob Baffert

Music Sensations Kygo, Logic & Diplo Headline the Infield at Pimlico

STAMFORD, Conn. – May 15, 2019 – Following one of the most dramatic finishes in Kentucky Derby history, NBC Sports’ Triple Crown horse racing returns this weekend with live coverage of the 144th Preakness Stakes this Saturday, May 18, at 5 p.m. ET on NBC. Game 5 of the NHL Eastern Conference Final between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Boston Bruins (if necessary) will air on NBC immediately following the Preakness Stakes.

Coverage from Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., begins this Friday, May 17, at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN with the 95th running of the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, and continues Saturday at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Over the two days, NBC Sports Group will cover 11 races live.

Saturday’s show includes a feature on Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert and Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, who collaborated to win the Triple Crown last year with Justify. The duo is teaming up again in the Preakness Stakes with Improbable, who was ridden by a different jockey in the Kentucky Derby and placed fourth. Baffert aims for his record-breaking eighth victory in the Preakness Stakes. Other top contenders in the wide-open field include War of Will, who finished seventh in the Derby, Bourbon War, and Alwaysmining.

On Saturday’s coverage, NBC Sports will look back on the dramatic conclusion to this year’s Kentucky Derby. Maximum Security owner Gary West joins NBC’s broadcast for a live interview about the disqualification of his horse. In addition, Sports Illustrated writer Tim Layden will present an essay on the historical context of what happened at Churchill Downs.

To capture every moment at Pimlico, NBC Sports will once again utilize an array of special cameras, and the return of an aerial camera over the full backstretch for the Preakness Stakes. Proving essential in last year’s fog-filled race, the camera will provide a unique perspective from 15-18 feet above the track at Pimlico, and can travel alongside the horses at up to 80 MPH.

In addition, Norwegian DJ, producer and songwriter Kygo, three-time Grammy Award nominee, Logic and global DJ superstar Diplo will rock the infield with performances of their biggest hits throughout the NBC broadcast.

COMMENTATORS:  NBC Sports’ coverage of the Preakness Stakes features host Mike Tirico; analyst Randy Moss and reporter/handicapper Eddie Olczyk; reporters Donna Brothers (also on horseback), Britney Eurton, Nick Luck, Laffit Pincay III, Kenny Rice, Ahmed Fareed, who makes his Preakness Stakes debut; and race caller Larry Collmus.

The coordinating producer of NBC’s horse racing coverage is Rob Hyland, who has been a part of the network’s horse racing coverage since 2001. The Preakness Stakes is directed by Sunday Night Football and NBC Sports’ horse racing director Drew Esocoff. The coverage on NBCSN is produced by Billy Matthews and directed by Pierre Moossa. The executive producer of NBC Sports and NBCSN is Sam Flood.

PREAKNESS STAKES
Date Time Event Network
Fri., May 17 3 p.m. Black-Eyed Susan Stakes NBCSN
Sat., May 18 2 p.m. Preakness Prep NBCSN
Sat., May 18 5 p.m. Preakness Stakes NBC


PREAKNESS STAKES COVERAGE ON NBCSPORTS.COM & THE NBC SPORTS APP

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs — will stream coverage on NBCSN and NBC via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value to for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. The NBC Sports app is available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire.

The NBC Sports app’s Preakness Stakes coverage includes:

  • Bonus analysis by NBC Sports commentators
  • Replays and highlights from the Kentucky Derby and earlier prep races

PREAKNESS STAKES ALL ACCESS

Horse racing fans can access content from the Preakness at NBCSports.com/horse-racing/Preakness-Stakes. Fans can access the full horse racing TV schedule including all Triple Crown races, Royal Ascot, and The Breeders’ Cup World Championships, as well as highlights from the Kentucky Derby.

NBC SPORTS RADIO PREAKNESS STAKES COVERAGE

NBC Sports Radio will present 2.5 hours of live Preakness Stakes race coverage beginning Saturday, May 18 at 5 p.m. ET featuring host Mike Penna. NBC Sports Radio’s The Daily Line will present a two hour pre-race show from 3-5 p.m. ET on Saturday.

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, the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Royal Ascot, and Pegasus World Cup Invitational Series. NBC has been the exclusive home of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes since 2001, and the Belmont Stakes since 2011, when NBC Sports Group reassembled the Triple Crown. The 2019 Kentucky Derby posted a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 16.5 million viewers across NBC and NBC Sports Digital platforms – up 10% from last year’s race (15.0 million) featuring eventual Triple Crown winner Justify and marking television’s largest Saturday audience since the NFL Divisional Playoffs (Jan. 12, 2019).

–NBC SPORTS–