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Big Brown Goes For Preakness… and Beyond
Leg No. 2 of the Triple Crown is Saturday, and hopefully it will be without the heartache of the first. Following Big Brown's dominating win at the Kentucky Derby on May 3, runner-up Eight Belles broke both her front ankles and had to be euthanized on the track.
NBC's coverage of the the Preakness Stakes (May 17, 4:30 pm/ET) includes a roundtable discussion on the Derby tragedy. Bob Costas will lead the discussion with Eight Belles trainer Larry Jones, NBC horse racing analyst Gary Stevens, Churchill Downs veterinarian Larry Bramlage, Alex Waldrop, CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and New York Times columnist William Rhoden.
As for the race itself, Big Brown is currently a 1-2 favorite to win. Whether or not he can take Saturday's race and the June 7 Belmont Stakes, seems a long shot. Only 11 horses have ever won the Triple Crown, and none have done it since Affirmed, back in 1978. "It doesn't look like there is a horse that can beat him in the Triple Crown, but I think the Triple Crown itself is his biggest obstacle," says NBC analyst Mike Battaglia. "It's tough to run these three bang-up races in five weeks."
If NBC's two hours of coverage isn't enough for you, ESPN will have three hours of Today at the Preakness Saturday (11 am/ET on ESPN2, then moving to ESPN at noon/ET), plus a three-hour Preakness Special beginning at 2 pm/ET on ESPN.
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May 16, 2008 9:51 AM
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