FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 12th, 2021

KENTUCKY DERBY WINNER MEDINA SPIRIT CONTINUES TRIPLE CROWN QUEST AS NBC SPORTS PRESENTS 146th PREAKNESS STAKES THIS SAT., MAY 15 AT 5 P.M. ET ON NBC

Coverage from Pimlico Begins This Friday at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN & Continues Saturday at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN

In-Depth Coverage of Medina Spirit Story, Including Breeding of a $1,000 Horse & Impact of Failed Drug Test on Bob Baffert

Music Sensation 2 Chainz Headlines the Infield at Pimlico

First Game of NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Immediately After Preakness on NBC as Washington Capitals Host Boston Bruins

STAMFORD, Conn. – May 12, 2021 – NBC Sports’ Triple Crown horse racing returns this weekend with live coverage of the 146th Preakness Stakes this Saturday, May 15, at 5 p.m. ET on NBC as Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit, the 9-5 morning line favorite, attempts the next step in his Triple Crown quest.

Game 1 of the First Round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Washington Capitals and the Boston Bruins will air on NBC immediately following the Preakness Stakes.

Coverage from Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., begins this Friday, May 14, at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN with the 97th running of the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, and continues Saturday at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Over the two days, NBC Sports will cover nine races live.

On Saturday, NBC Sports will cover all angles of the Medina Spirit story, including:

    • The impact of the recent news on Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who will not travel to Baltimore for Saturday’s race
    • Medina Spirit, who was first bought for $1,000 as a yearling and then purchased for $35,000 as a two-year-old, and gave Baffert his seventh career Kentucky Derby win, the most ever by a trainer
      • Baffert also trains Concert Tour (5-2), whose most recent win came in the March 13 Rebel (G2) at Oaklawn
    • Feature on Medina Spirit breeder Gail Rice
    • A Tim Layden essay on all that has gone wrong in horse racing, including issues within the sport and possible solutions
    • Craig Fravel, CEO of 1/ST Racing, will discuss the decision to allow Medina Spirit to run in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes

 

Three horses from the Kentucky Derby will run in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes: winner Medina Spirit, Midnight Bourbon (5-1) and Keepmeinmind (15-1). Ram (30-1), a son of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, will also run in Saturday’s Preakness field.

Additional highlights of Preakness Stakes coverage Saturday on NBC include:

    • Seven live races on Saturday (two in the NBC Preakness Stakes show)
    • Celebrity picks for the 146th Preakness Stakes
    • A look at the Woodlawn Vase, which is awarded for winning the Preakness Stakes and is the most expensive trophy in North America
    • A camera focused on race caller Larry Collmus

 

In addition, musicians 2 Chainz and D-Nice will rock the infield with performances of their biggest hits throughout the broadcast.

COMMENTATORS:  NBC Sports’ coverage of the Preakness Stakes features host Mike Tirico; analysts Randy Moss and Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey, a two-time Preakness Stakes winner who earned his first Triple Crown victory 30 years ago, in 1991, aboard Hansel; reporter/handicapper Eddie Olczyk; insights analyst Steve Kornacki, who correctly picked Media Spirit as this year’s Kentucky Derby winner; host/reporter Ahmed Fareed; reporters Donna Brothers, Britney Eurton, Laffit Pincay III, and Kenny Rice; and race caller Larry Collmus.

The Preakness Stakes is produced by Lindsay Schanzer and is directed by Sunday Night Football and NBC Sports’ horse racing director Drew Esocoff. The coordinating producer of NBC’s horse racing coverage is Rob Hyland. Executive producer and president, production, NBC Sports and NBCSN is Sam Flood.

PREAKNESS STAKES  
Date Time Event Network  
Fri., May 14 5 p.m. Black-Eyed Susan Stakes NBCSN  
Sat., May 15 2 p.m. Preakness Prep NBCSN  
Sat., May 15 5 p.m. Preakness Stakes NBC  
 

BELMONT STAKES
Date Time Event Network
Fri., June 4 5 p.m. Belmont Stakes Access NBCSN
Sat., June 5 3 p.m. Belmont Stakes Prep NBCSN
Sat., June 5 5 p.m. Belmont Stakes NBC

 

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

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 and the NBC Sports app will provide a full race replay of the Preakness Stakes.

NBC SPORTS AUDIO PREAKNESS STAKES COVERAGE

In partnership with Horse Racing Radio Network (HRRN), NBC Sports Audio will present live Preakness Stakes coverage beginning Saturday, May 15 at 5 p.m. ET featuring host Mike Penna and analysts Kurt Becker, Tom Leach, and Jeff Bloom. The broadcast will include a simulcast of the live race call by NBC Sports’ Larry Collmus. This is the seventh consecutive year HRRN and NBC Sports have teamed to produce radio coverage of the Triple Crown, which will be available throughout North America on NBC Sports Audio channel on SiriusXM channel 211 along with terrestrial affiliates throughout the United States.  Live streaming and a listing of affiliates can also be accessed via the HRRN website, www.horseracingradio.net. HRRN is available on SiriusXM channels 209 and 201.

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–