Six Kentucky Derby preps to be televised by NBC networks

The Jockey Club, in collaboration with the NBC Sports Group, CNBC and six

racetracks, will provide live coverage of six major prep races for the 2012

Kentucky Derby over four consecutive weekends next spring, it was announced

Tuesday.

The series will be highlighted by a 90-minute live broadcast on NBC featuring

the Grade 1 Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct and the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby

at on April 7, 2012.

The other four Kentucky Derby prep races are the Grade 3 Spiral Stakes from

Turfway Park on March 24 and the Grade 1 Florida Derby from Gulfstream Park on

March 31, both of which will air on the NBC Sports Network (which will be

renamed from VERSUS on January 2), and the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes from

Keeneland and the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby from Oaklawn Park, which will air on

CNBC on April 14.

"The Jockey Club is proud to work with our television and racetrack partners

to bring more of our sport's best racing to a national audience," said Ogden

Mills Phipps, Chairman of The Jockey Club. "Increasing the television presence

of Thoroughbred racing is just the first step in a long term, multi-media

strategy focused on fan retention and development. Together with racetracks and

other industry organizations, we plan to aggressively cross-promote Thoroughbred

racing on a variety of traditional and new digital media platforms."

"These races are important steppingstones to the Kentucky Derby," said Jon

Miller, President, Programming, NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network. "And this

programming further demonstrates the NBC Sports Group's commitment to the sport

of Thoroughbred racing, which already includes long-term deals for the Triple

Crown races as well as with Saratoga and Keeneland."

Increased television coverage of Thoroughbred racing and the development of a

new digital media strategy were among nine recommendations identified in the

major economic study of the Thoroughbred industry that was commissioned by The

Jockey Club, and conducted in association with the management consulting firm

McKinsey & Company, earlier this year. The findings and recommendations were

announced in August at The Jockey Club's Round Table Conference in Saratoga

Springs, New York.