NBC has all the horses
SOUND AND VISION
Coverage of Kentucky Derby could come down to a match between Big Brown and Colonel John.
There are several questions surrounding the 20-horse field for Saturday's 134th Kentucky Derby, but two things are certain: The band will play "My Old Kentucky Home" and television will have the blimp shot.
Can Big Brown, the favorite who has raced only three times, win from the No. 20 post position? Will the switch from the synthetic track at Santa Anita to the cool dirt at Churchill Downs disrupt California's Colonel John and Bob Black Jack? Does the filly Eight Belles have the strength and stamina to run a mile and a quarter?
The answers will come about an hour after NBC begins its Derby coverage at 2 p.m. with Tom Hammond and Bob Costas as co-hosts alongside jockey Gary Stevens, the three-time winner of the Run for the Roses. Contributing to the race analysis are Mike Battaglia and Bob Neumeier, along with reporters Kenny Rice and Donna Barton Brothers, a former jockey who will be on the track.
Post time is set for 3:04 p.m. PDT and Tom Durkin will call the race.
In a conference call with reporters Thursday, Stevens said he didn't expect Colonel John to have a problem adjusting to a dirt track. "He had an outstanding gallop, a very, very good ride," Stevens said of one of the horse's workouts earlier this week.
The No. 20 post position could work in favor of Big Brown, the winner of the Florida Derby. "If he stumbles at the start, he can avoid interference," Stevens said.
It has been 30 years since Affirmed and Alydar hooked up in the stretch at Churchill Downs in what was to become a classic Triple Crown rivalry. Can Big Brown and Colonel John do the same? It'll take two minutes for a clearer picture to unfold Saturday afternoon.
NBC has expanded its coverage this year with the pre-race "Access at the Derby," a 1 p.m. show hosted by Billy Bush. The show will invite viewers backstage at the Derby for celebrity interviews and also focus an eye on fashion at the race.
In other horse racing programming, Fox presents the premiere of "Laffit -- All About Winning," a feature documentary about the life and career of jockey Laffit Pincay Jr., produced and directed by Academy Award-winner Jim Wilson ("Dances With Wolves").
Kevin Costner narrates the two-hour show, which will be shown today at 4 p.m. on FSN West, and again at noon on Saturday May 17.
Also available for viewing this weekend, along with NBA games to be determined:
