Breeders' Cup & NBC: 18 race telecast deal

[Grits]

Summer into Fall series.

http://www.drf.com/news/breeders-cup-nbc-reach-deal-televise-18-breeders-cup-prep-races

The first broadcast June 7 will feature live coverage of the Metropolitan Handicap and the Ogden Phipps Stakes from Belmont Park. The series will conclude Oct. 5 with the Spinster and Bourbon stakes at Keeneland. Twenty-one races in all will be broadcast live under the agreement, and 18 of them are part of the Win and You’re In series, which guarantees the winners spots in one of the 14 races in the Breeders’ Cup year-end event, scheduled for Santa Anita Park in Southern California on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.

[SandyLoam]

Read further in and you'll see it's the same foo-foo approach as the Derby.

GEEEEEEEEZZZZ! This is looking more like the Chicago Cubs and Arlington Park all the time. Where the bread and circuses completely overshadow the idea that there might be an athletic event going on.

The NBC coverage events sound like they're going to turn into the same show every week. Will be interesting to see how Fox counters on its series. Their Keeneland coverage was pretty good the other week, concentrating on racing.