POSTED: Wednesday April 1st 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SANTA ANITA DERBY, KEY DERBY PREP RACE, LIVE ON NBC SPORTS THIS SATURDAY

Broadcast to Include Live Coverage of the Illinois Derby

    


       NBC’s Gary Stevens: “The Santa Anita Derby always has a huge impact on the Kentucky Derby.”


       NEW YORK – April 1, 2009 – NBC\‘s thoroughbred racing schedule enters the starting gate on Saturday (5-6 p.m. ET) with exclusive live HD coverage of the prestigious Santa Anita Derby, one of the most important Kentucky Derby prep races.  The Grade I race for three year olds at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., carries a guaranteed purse of $750,000.

NBC analyst Gary Stevens won the Santa Anita Derby a record nine times, and says there are three horses to watch there this weekend:  \“It\‘s a three horse race with Pioneerof the Nile, Chocolate Candy and The Pamplemousse.  It\‘s exactly four weeks before the Derby, and The Santa Anita Derby always has a huge impact on the Kentucky Derby.\”

As part of NBC\‘s thoroughbred racing coverage Saturday, the network will feature live coverage of the Illinois Derby from Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney/Cicero, Ill., also a crucial Derby prep race.

STEVENS ON THE ILLINOIS DERBY: \“Musket Man, coming off of his victory in the Tampa Bay Derby, is the solid favorite and I think a few of these horses, like Giant Oak and Perfect Song, can step up and challenge him.\”

Tom Hammond hosts the Santa Anita Derby for NBC alongside Gary Stevens who, in 1988, won the Santa Anita Derby atop Winning Colors for the first of his record nine first place finishes at  the Santa Anita Derby.  They will be joined by reporters Mike Battaglia, Kenny Rice and Donna Barton Brothers.  Bob Neumeier will be live at Hawthorne to report on the Illinois Derby.

       Members of the media can get more information about NBC Universal and its programming on the NBC Universal Media Village Web site at www.nbcumv.com.

# # #

Keywords · Santa Anita Derby · Kentucky Derby · horse racing · NBC

Name: Adam Freifeld
Organization: NBC
Email:
Phone: +1.212-664-6772

Please refer all questions to the company listed above issuing the press release. SFC will not be able to assist you with any inquiries and disclaims any content in these press releases.