FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 5th, 2019

THE BELMONT STAKES, THE FINAL JEWEL OF THE TRIPLE CROWN, FEATURING PREAKNESS STAKES WINNER WAR OF WILL, AIRS THIS SAT., JUNE 8 LIVE AT 4 P.M. ET ON NBC

Coverage from Belmont Park Begins This Friday at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN & Continues Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN

War of Will Aims to Become the First Horse Since 2005 to Win the Belmont and Preakness After Competing in and Not Winning the Kentucky Derby

 Saturday’s NBC Belmont Stakes Show Features Essay by Sports Illustrated’s Tim Layden on the Unpredictability of this Year’s Triple Crown; Feature on Jockey Luis Saez, Who Was Disqualified on Maximum Security in Kentucky Derby and Will Ride Everfast in Belmont

NBC Sports Presents All Three “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series – Win and You’re In” Races on Saturday

Belmont Coverage Available on NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app, and NBC Sports Radio

STAMFORD, Conn. – June 5, 2019 – Preakness Stakes winner War of Will headlines the field for the 151st Belmont Stakes this Saturday, June 8, at 4 p.m. ET on NBC. Coverage from Belmont Park, N.Y. begins Friday, June 7 at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN. In addition, NBCSN will present Belmont Prep on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET.

The Belmont Stakes is referred to as the “Test of the Champion” for its 1.5-mile distance, the longest of the three Triple Crown races. War of Will, the only horse to race in all three legs of the 2019 Triple Crown, aims to become the first horse since 2005 (Afleet Alex) to win the Belmont and Preakness after competing in and not winning the Kentucky Derby. Also highlighting the field of ten will be Wood Memorial winner Tacitus and Bourbon War, who will be ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith. Smith won this race last year with Justify, clinching the 13th Triple Crown in history.

Highlights of NBC Sports Group’s Belmont Stakes coverage include:

  • Sports Illustrated writer Tim Layden presents an essay on the unusual nature of this year’s Triple Crown.
  • A feature on Luis Saez, the jockey who rode disqualified Kentucky Derby winner Maximum Security and will ride Preakness runner up Everfast in the Belmont Stakes.
  • Jerry Bailey and Randy Moss go “around the barns” to meet the contenders of the 151st Belmont Stakes.
  • A feature on trainer Bill Mott, who won the Kentucky Derby with Country House and will run Tacitus in the Belmont Stakes.
  • Jockey John Velazquez, who was thrown off Bodexpress at the start of the Preakness Stakes, joins the broadcast to recap the incident.
  • A feature on Preakness-winning jockey Tyler Gafflione, who will ride War of Will this weekend in the Belmont Stakes.
  • On Saturday, NBC Sports presents all three races in the “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series – Win and You’re In,” including the Jaipur Invitational, the Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap, and the Ogden Phipps Stakes.

COMMENTATORS:  NBC Sports’ coverage of the Belmont Stakes features host Mike Tirico; analysts Randy Moss and Jerry Bailey, the Hall of Fame jockey and two-time Belmont Stakes winner; reporter/handicapper Eddie Olczyk; reporters Donna Brothers (also on horseback), Britney Eurton, Laffit Pincay III, Kenny Rice, Ahmed Fareed, who makes his Belmont 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 and serves as the lead producer on his 24th Triple Crown race. The Belmont Stakes is directed by Drew Esocoff. The coverage on NBCSN is produced by Billy Matthews and directed by Kaare Numme. Executive producer and president, production, NBC Sports and NBCSN is Sam Flood.

BELMONT STAKES
Date Time Event Network
Fri., June 7 5 p.m. Belmont Stakes Access NBCSN
Sat., June 8 2:30 p.m. Belmont Stakes Prep NBCSN
Sat., June 8 4 p.m. Belmont Stakes NBC

BELMONT 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 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 Belmont Stakes coverage also includes:

  • Bonus analysis by NBC Sports commentators
  • Replays and highlights from the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes
  • “Collmus Cam” – Larry Collmus’ Belmont Stakes race call captured by a camera in his booth at Belmont Park will be available on-demand after the race is over.

NBC SPORTS RADIO BELMONT STAKES COVERAGE

NBC Sports Radio will present two-plus hours of live Belmont Stakes coverage beginning Saturday, June 8 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.

BELMONT STAKES ALL ACCESS

Horse racing fans can access content from the Belmont at NBCSports.com/Belmont-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 and Preakness Stakes.

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 –