The Road to the Triple Crown begins this week, highlighted by NBC's live five-hour Kentucky Derby Day telecast this Saturday, May 1 at 2:30 p.m. ET. NBC Sports kicks off more than 13 hours of Kentucky Derby Week action this Friday, April 30 with live coverage of the Kentucky Oaks beginning at Noon ET on NBCSN. Saturday's live Derby coverage begins with Kentucky Derby Prep at Noon ET on NBCSN. In total, NBC Sports will televise 17 live races.

This weekend's Derby marks the 20^th anniversary of NBC Sports' first Kentucky Derby coverage in 2001, which was won by Monarchos. NBC Sports reporters Donna Brothers and Kenny Rice have covered the Kentucky Derby every year for NBC since 2001. This year also marks the 25^th anniversary of analyst Jerry Bailey's Kentucky Derby win on Grindstone in 1996.

The 2021 Kentucky Derby features likely favorite Essential Quality, who was named 2020's Champion two-year-old male and is undefeated in his career, and this year's Louisiana Derby winner Hot Rod Charlie. With a win in this year's Kentucky Derby, Bob Baffert – who trains Medina Spirit in Saturday's field – would earn his seventh career Derby victory, breaking a tie with Ben Jones for the most ever by a trainer.

COMMENTATORS: NBC Sports Group's coverage of the Kentucky Derby features host Mike Tirico, who is hosting Derby coverage for the fifth time; analysts Jerry Bailey, the Hall of Fame jockey and two-time Kentucky Derby winner, and Randy Moss; handicapper/reporter Eddie Olczyk; host/reporter Ahmed Fareed; reporters Britney Eurton, Donna Brothers, Kenny Rice, and Laffit Pincay III; and race caller Larry Collmus.

NBC Sports' Jac Collinsworth makes his Kentucky Derby debut as a reporter from Churchill Downs, and four-time Olympic gold medal-winning sprinter Sanya Richards-Ross will join NBC Sports' 2021 Kentucky Derby coverage as a lifestyle and fashion correspondent. Steve Kornacki, NBC News' and MSNBC's celebrated national political correspondent, will join NBC Sports' 2021 Kentucky Derby coverage as an insights analyst.

The coordinating producer of NBC's horse racing coverage is Rob Hyland, who has been a part of the network's horse racing coverage since 2001. The Kentucky Derby is directed by Drew Esocoff. The coverage on NBCSN is produced by Billy Matthews and directed by Kaare Numme. Executive producer and president, production, NBC Sports and NBCSN is Sam Flood.

Highlights of Kentucky Derby coverage Saturday on NBC include:

• Five live races in the NBC Kentucky Derby show (nine live races in Saturday's full coverage)
• Mike Tirico's championship discussion with Bill Belichick, six-time Super Bowl winner as New England Patriots head coach, and Bob Baffert, six-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer
• Tirico's one-on-one discussion with Baffert, who is aiming to become the winningest trainer in Kentucky Derby history
• Feature on the family of trainer Steve Asmussen, who trains Super Stock and Midnight Bourbon in this year's Derby field. Keith Asmussen, Steve's father, co-owns Super Stock
• Jac Collinsworth tells the story of Kentucky Derby qualifier Hot Rod Charlie and his connections, highlighting five Brown University football teammates who made the initial $110,000 investment in the horse
• Tim Layden essays, including one on Canonero II, who had one of the biggest Derby upsets 50 years ago, rallying from 18th place to win the 1971 Kentucky Derby by 3¾ lengths
• Tom Hammond's retrospective as NBC Sports marks the 20^th anniversary of its first Kentucky Derby coverage
• For the first time, a live drone and two live jockey cam systems will be utilized in Derby coverage (among 50 total cameras)
• NBC Sports' backstretch bat cam returns for the first time since 2019, offering a perspective from 15-18 feet above the track and traveling up to 80 mph
• A camera focused on race caller Larry Collmus
• NBC Sports EDGE's Matt Bernier to provide betting-focused articles and video previews throughout the week
• NBC Sports EDGE's new sports betting-focused podcast, 'Bet the Edge,' hosted by Sara Perlman, launched today and will have daily Kentucky Derby segments throughout the week. Click here to listen to the debut episode as Eddie Olczyk joins the show to discuss handicapping Saturday's Kentucky Derby

NBC SPORTS GROUP TRIPLE CROWN COVERAGE (All Times ET):

KENTUCKY DERBY
Date			Time			Event	Network
Fri., April 30			Noon			Kentucky Oaks	NBCSN
Sat., May 1			Noon			Kentucky Derby Prep	NBCSN
Sat., May 1			2:30 p.m.			Kentucky Derby	NBC
PREAKNESS STAKES
Date		Time			Event		Network
Fri., May 14		5 p.m.			Black-Eyed Susan Stakes		NBCSN
Sat., May 15		2 p.m.			Preakness Prep		NBCSN
Sat., May 15		5 p.m.			Preakness Stakes		NBC
BELMONT STAKES
Date	Time			Event				Network
Fri., June 4	5 p.m.			Belmont Stakes Access				NBCSN
Sat., June 5	3 p.m.			Belmont Stakes Prep				NBCSN
Sat., June 5	5 p.m.			Belmont Stakes

NBC