NBC Sports Radio, WWOne Sports Provide Triple Crown Coverage

NBC Sports Radio and Westwood One Sports are proud to present live play-by-play coverage of The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing-- the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes.

The networks are first out of the gate with the 141st Kentucky Derby, live from Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, this Saturday, May 2, 2015.  Exclusive “Run for the Roses” audio coverage is being provided in conjunction with NBC Sports and Horse Racing Radio Network.

Coverage will be carried on 144 radio stations around the country—including WEPN-FM/New York, KTCT-AM/San Francisco, KGOW-AM/Houston, WXKS-AM/Boston, and WTEM-AM/Washington, DC-- and streamed live on NBCSportsRadio.com, NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports Radio mobile app, and WestwoodOneSports.com.

NBC Sports Radio kicks off the first jewel in the Triple Crown with a pre-race show hosted by Anita Marks from 2:00-5:00 pm ET.  Marks will be joined by special guests including super horse trainer and three-time Kentucky Derby winner Bob Baffert, who has the top two favorites in this race—Dortmund and American Pharaoh—plus, racing analyst Hank Goldberg, and racing analyst and former Major League Baseball catcher Paul Lo Duca.

NBC Sports Radio and Westwood One Sports grab the reins from 5:00-7:00 pm ET, in tandem with Horse Racing Radio Network, with a Derby broadcast featuring pre-race ceremonies, interviews, predictions, celebrity red carpet comments, the play-by-play call of the race, post-race interviews, and more. HRRN’s Mike Penna anchors the coverage of all three Triple Crown races.  He will be joined by analysts Jude Feld and Kurt Becker.  Former jockeys Sean Clancy and Jeff Bloom serve as paddock and trackside reporters, and reigning Miss Connecticut Acacia Courtney rounds out the broadcast crew. Larry Collmus handles the play-by-play for all three races.

On Saturday, May 16, the second jewel of the Triple Crown occurs at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland, with the 140th Preakness Stakes.  The 147th Belmont Stakes is the third and final leg of the Triple Crown, and will be run on Saturday, June 6 from Belmont Park in Elmont, NY.  There has not been a Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.

Jack Silver, Program Director for NBC Sports Radio, said “We are elated to be a part of this iconic sporting event for the first time.  We look forward to sharing all the behind-the-scenes hoopla leading up to the ‘Run for the Roses’ to millions of listeners across all of our platforms.”

“We are thrilled to extend NBC Sports’ award-winning coverage of the Kentucky Derby to the radio airwaves,” added Rob Simmelkjaer, SVP of NBC Sports Ventures.  “NBC Sports Radio’s coverage of the 141st Run for the Roses will rivet fans all across America.”

Bruce Gilbert, SVP Sports for Cumulus and Westwood One, said, "NBC Sports, Westwood One, and Horse Racing Radio Network are the Trifecta of Triple Crown coverage!  We’re proud to present the pageantry and majesty of these longstanding events to fans across the nation."

Horse Racing Radio Network’s Mike Penna said, “Having the opportunity to showcase horse racing’s signature events to listeners around the globe is a tremendous privilege. Being able to partner with the teams at NBC Sports and Westwood One is a great honor and it will significantly enhance coverage.”

For more information on programming, visit NBCSportsRadio@westwoodone.com.