FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 30th, 2020

NBC SPORTS PRESENTS 145th PREAKNESS STAKES THIS SAT., OCT. 3 AT 4:30 PM ET ON NBC

Kentucky Derby Winner Authentic Headlines Field as Trainer Bob Baffert Aims for Record Eighth Preakness Victory

Musician Wyclef Jean to Perform Live from Pimlico on Saturday’s Broadcast

Saturday’s Coverage from Pimlico Includes the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes for 3-Year-Old Fillies & A Feature on Baffert’s 2020 Kentucky Derby

Special Riders Up Documentary, This Friday at 6 p.m. ET & Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN Highlights Racing at Santa Anita in Early Days of Pandemic

This Weekend’s Horse Racing Coverage Begins Friday on NBCSN with TVG Trackside Live at 4 p.m. ET & Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series at 5 p.m. ET; Coverage Continues Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN with Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series

STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 30, 2020 – NBC Sports presents the 145th Preakness Stakes this Saturday, Oct. 3 at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC live from Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, MD.

This year’s Preakness Stakes moved from May 16, and is the final race of the 2020 Triple Crown, marking the first time since 1931 that the Triple Crown races have not been run in the traditional Kentucky Derby-Preakness Stakes-Belmont Stakes sequence. In addition, this year’s Preakness Stakes has been designated as a “Win and You’re In” race for the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 7 on NBC. This Saturday’s coverage also includes the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes for three-year-old fillies.

Trainer Bob Baffert aims to win a record eighth Preakness Stakes with 2020 Kentucky Derby winner Authentic (the 9-to-5 morning line favorite) headlining the field, which also includes Art Collector (5-to-2), who was considered a Derby favorite before a minor foot problem prevented him from entering, and Swiss Skydiver (6-to-1), who can become the first filly to win the Preakness since 2009 (Rachel Alexandra).

Saturday’s coverage will include two jockey cams to provide unique on-track perspective, along with enhanced audio through a mic’d up trainer and jockey. The show will also contain a feature on Baffert’s 2020 Kentucky Derby experience, including a half-hour span in which Thousand Words was scratched prior to the race after flipping in the paddock and Authentic knocking down Baffert down post-race in the winner’s circle. Thousand Words (6-to-1) is also running in the Preakness on Saturday.

Musician and actor Wyclef Jean, a three-time Grammy Award winner, will perform at Pimlico with a symphony orchestra and call Riders Up.

This weekend’s horse racing coverage begins Friday with TVG Trackside Live at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN, followed by two races on the “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In – presented by America’s Best Racing” telecast at 5 p.m. ET from Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky.

On Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN will televise three automatic Breeders’ Cup qualifying races — the Juddmonte Spinster Stakes, the Bourbon Stakes and the Indian Summer Stakes — from Keeneland as part of the “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In – presented by America’s Best Racing.”

At 6 p.m. ET on Friday and 12:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, NBCSN will present Riders Up, a special documentary highlighting racing at Santa Anita Park at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The documentary was filmed and produced by The Hennegan Brothers, who are multiple Eclipse Award-winning directors.

SOCIALLY-DISTANCED COMMENTATORS: NBC Sports’ coverage of the Preakness Stakes features host Ahmed Fareed and analyst Randy Moss from NBC Sports Group’s International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn. Hall of Fame jockey and analyst Jerry Bailey and handicapper Eddie Olczyk join from their respective homes, while reporters Britney Eurton and Kenny Rice and race caller Larry Collmus will be on-site at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.

The Preakness Stakes is produced by Lindsay Schanzer and directed by Kaare Numme. 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. Executive producer and president, production, NBC Sports and NBCSN is Sam Flood.

Highlights of Saturday’s Preakness Stakes coverage on NBC include:

    • The 96th running of the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes on Saturday on NBC.
    • A feature on Bob Baffert’s Kentucky Derby, which included a half-hour span in which Thousand Words, who is competing in this weekend’s Preakness Stakes, was scratched after flipping in the paddock, leading to the broken wrist of assistant trainer Jimmy Barnes. After winning the Derby, Authentic then acted up in the winner’s circle, causing Baffert to fall.
    • Jerry Bailey and Randy Moss remotely go “around the barns” to meet the contenders of the 145th Preakness Stakes.
    • Reporter/handicapper Matt Bernier reports from Keeneland Race Course, and looks ahead to the upcoming Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Nov. 6-7 at Keeneland on NBC and NBCSN.
    • Two jockey cams to provide unique on-track perspective.
    • One jockey and one trainer will be mic’d.

 

THIS WEEK’S NBC SPORTS HORSE RACING SCHEDULE (ALL TIMES ET)
Date Time Event Network
Fri., Oct. 2 4 p.m. TVG Trackside Live NBCSN
Fri., Oct. 2 5 p.m. Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series NBCSN
Sat., Oct. 3 4:30 p.m. Preakness Stakes NBC
Sun., Oct. 4 4:30 p.m. Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series NBCSN

 

PREAKNESS STAKES COVERAGE ON COVERAGE ON NBCSPORTS.COM, NBC SPORTS APP & PEACOCK

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will stream live coverage to desktops, mobile, tablets, and connected TVs 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. The full HD-quality video stream will come directly from NBC’s broadcasts. NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app are available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Samsung Smart TVs, Xbox, and Chromecast. NBC Sports.com, the NBC Sports app, and Peacock – NBCUniversal’s streaming service – will provide a full race replay of the Kentucky Derby.

NBC SPORTS RADIO PREAKNESS STAKES COVERAGE

In partnership with Horse Racing Radio Network (HRRN), NBC Sports Audio Network will present two hours of live Preakness Stakes race coverage beginning Saturday, Oct. 3 at 4 p.m. ET featuring host Mike Penna and analyst Bobby Neuman. The broadcast will include a simulcast of the live race call by NBC Sports’ Larry Collmus. This is the sixth consecutive year HRRN and NBC Sports have teamed to produce radio coverage of the Triple Crown, which will be available throughout North America on SiriusXM satellite radio (channels 219 on Sirius and 201 on XM) along with terrestrial affiliates throughout the United States.  Live streaming can also be accessed at NBCSports.com, and the HRRN website.

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.

–NBC SPORTS–