NBC Sports Plans Live Coverage Of 153rd Belmont Stakes

NBC Sports' Triple Crown horse racing concludes this weekend with live coverage of the 153rd Belmont Stakes this Saturday, June 5 at 5 p.m. ET on NBC featuring Preakness winner Rombauer (3-1) and 2-1 morning line favorite Essential Quality.

Game 4 of the Second Round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs between the New York Islanders and the Boston Bruins will air on NBC immediately following the Belmont Stakes. The Islanders will host the Bruins at Nassau Coliseum, which is less than eight miles away from Belmont Park.

The Belmont Stakes is referred to as the “Test of the Champion” for its 1.5-mile distance, the longest of the three Triple Crown races. Essential Quality is one of five horses who competed in the Kentucky Derby that will run in Saturday's Belmont Stakes: Hot Rod Charlie (7-2), Known Agenda (6-1), Bourbonic (15-1) and Rock Your World (9-2).

Coverage from Belmont Park begins this Friday, June 4, at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN and continues Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN with two “Breeders' Cup Challenge Series – Win and You're In” races. Over the two days, NBC Sports will cover seven races live.

Highlights of NBC Sports' Belmont Stakes coverage include:

  • Seven live races on Friday and Saturday (two in the NBC Belmont Stakes show)
  • A feature on Rombauer jockey John Velazquez, who won this year's Kentucky Derby atop Medina Spirit and has won two career Belmont Stakes (2007, 2012)
  • A feature on Rombauer trainer Michael McCarthy, who won his first career Triple Crown race at this year's Preakness Stakes
  • On Saturday, NBC Sports presents two races in the “Breeders' Cup Challenge Series – Win and You're In,” including the Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap and the Ogden Phipps Handicap.
  • COMMENTATORS: NBC Sports' coverage of the Belmont Stakes features host Mike Tirico; analysts Randy Moss and Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey, a two-time Belmont Stakes winner; insights analyst Steve Kornacki, who correctly picked Media Spirit as this year's Kentucky Derby winner; host/reporter Ahmed Fareed; reporters Donna Brothers, Britney Eurton, Laffit Pincay III, and Kenny Rice; and race caller Larry Collmus. Reporter/handicapper Eddie Olczyk will join coverage from Las Vegas, where he's calling the Colorado Avalanche-Vegas Golden Knights Stanley Cup Playoff series.

The Belmont Stakes is produced by Lindsay Schanzer and is directed by Sunday Night Football and NBC Sports' horse racing director Drew Esocoff. The coordinating producer of NBC's horse racing coverage is Rob Hyland. Executive producer and president, production, NBC Sports and NBCSN is Sam Flood.

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

BELMONT STAKES COVERAGE ON NBCSPORTS.COM & THE NBC SPORTS APP

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will stream live coverage to desktops, mobile, tablets, and connected TVs via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value to their subscription service, and making high-quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. The full HD-quality video stream will come directly from NBC's broadcasts. NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app are available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Samsung Smart TVs, Xbox, and Chromecast. NBC Sports.com and the NBC Sports app will provide a full race replay of the Belmont Stakes.

NBC SPORTS AUDIO BELMONT STAKES COVERAGE

In partnership with Horse Racing Radio Network (HRRN), NBC Sports Audio will present live Belmont Stakes coverage beginning Saturday, June 5 at 5 p.m. ET featuring host Mike Penna and analysts Kurt Becker, Tom Leach, and Anthony Stabile. The broadcast will include a simulcast of the live race call by NBC Sports' Larry Collmus. This is the seventh consecutive year HRRN and NBC Sports have teamed to produce radio coverage of the Triple Crown, which will be available throughout North America on NBC Sports Audio channel on SiriusXM channel 211 along with terrestrial affiliates throughout the United States. Live streaming and a listing of affiliates can also be accessed via the HRRN website, www.horseracingradio.net. HRRN is available on SiriusXM channels 209 and 201.

NBC SPORTS GROUP AND HORSE RACING: NBC Sports Group is the exclusive home to the most important and prestigious events in horse racing, including the Triple Crown, the Breeders' Cup World Championships, Royal Ascot, and Pegasus World Cup Invitational Series. NBC has been the exclusive home of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes since 2001, and the Belmont Stakes since 2011, when NBC Sports Group reassembled the Triple Crown.

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‘Strong Piece Of Work’: Rebel’s Romance Records Third Breeze In Eight Days For Belmont Stakes

Godolphin's Rebel's Romance gave his connections just what they were looking for in his final piece of serious preparation for the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets, with a sharp six-furlong work in 1:14.29 over the Belmont Park main track on Wednesday morning.

The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival runs from June 3 through Saturday, June 5, and is headlined by the 153rd running of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets. The festival will encompass 17 total stakes, including eight Grade 1s on Belmont Stakes Day, capped by the “Test of the Champion” for 3-year-olds in the 1 1/2-mile final leg of the Triple Crown.

Under partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the low 70s, Rebel's Romance worked in company with stablemate Desert Peace, who is targeting the Grade 2, $300,000 True North on Friday, June 4.

The Charlie Appleby-trained pair took a walk through the paddock before heading out to the main track at 9:00 a.m. The two horses jogged clockwise in front of the grandstand and around the far turn before beginning their work down the backstretch.

Rebel's Romance, winner of the Group 2 UAE Derby at Meydan Racecourse last out, tracked to the outside of Desert Peace as clockers caught the duo through splits of 25.00, 36.80 and 1:00.58. Just past the quarter-pole, Rebel's Romance established a slight advantage over Desert Peace and was coaxed along approaching the wire, completing his move in 1:14.29 while Desert Peace finished up in 1:14.61.

Wednesday morning's workout was a third breeze in eight days for both horses. In their previous two works, Rebel's Romance was strategically placed right off Desert Peace, who would finish off ahead of his stable mate.

Sophie Chretien, travelling assistant for Appleby, said Wednesday morning's tactics were by design.

“The plan was to make him work a little bit harder and push to the line to really get that strong piece of work,” Chretien said. “I'm very happy with the horse. He's progressing very well. It's ten days before the race, so this was the big work for him, and he's going forward. They are moving well on the surface and they've been eating great.”

A son of Dubawi, Rebel's Romance is a four-time winner of five career starts with his lone defeat taking place when fourth in the Saudi Derby on February 29 at King Abdulaziz Racecourse. The Irish homebred is out of the Street Cry mare Minidress.

Chretien expressed confidence in the horse's distance capabilities given his pedigree and his appearance.

“He's a big-framed horse and a big galloper, so distance will help him,” Chretien said.

Desert Peace, a son of Curlin out of the stakes-winning Flatter mare Stoweshoe – a full sister to Grade 1-winner Taris, will arrive at the True North off a victory at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai.

“I was very pleased with him; he's been very consistent. He's very focused,” Chretien said.

Chretien said she is hoping for a fast track next Saturday.

“I'm hoping we don't get too much rain,” Chretien said. “I've been looking at the forecast and we might get some rain through the weekend, but after that it should dry by the time we get to the Belmont. I'm not hoping for a sloppy track or anything like that.”

Appleby has conquered some of the largest races on a global scale owning three Breeders' Cup victories [Outstrip (2013 Juvenile Turf); Wuheida (2017 Filly and Mare Turf) and Line of Duty (2018 Juvenile Turf)], as well as an Epsom Derby with Masar and a Melbourne Cup win with Cross Counter, both in 2018. The British conditioner will be racing against history as he seeks his first American classic victory, as no foreign-based horse has won the Belmont Stakes since Go And Go conquered the 1990 'Test of the Champion' for Dermot Weld.

“It's something that's been in the back of his mind and I think Rebel is the horse that could bring it to us,” Chretien said. “Of course, it's great to have won big races all over the world, like the Melbourne Cup, and having much success in Europe and the Breeders' Cup here in the United States. To win a race like the Belmont would mean a lot.”

In addition to Rebel's Romance and Desert Peace, Appleby will also send out Althiqa and Summer Romance for the Grade 1, $500,000 Longines Just a Game on June 5 going one mile for fillies and mares.

Althiqa, a gray or roan daughter of Dark Angel, has never finished off the board in nine lifetime starts and won the Group 2 Cape Verdi at the Just a Game distance before finishing third in the Group 2 Balanchine, both races were at Meydan Racecourse.

A winner of the Balanchine last out, Summer Romance bested her stable mate in the nine-furlong test, which she won by 2 ¼ lengths. Last July, the daughter of Kingman won the Group 3 Princess Elizabeth at Epsom.

Chretien said that both fillies will have their final work on Saturday morning during the designated time window for turf workers.

“They galloped on the grass the other day,” Chretien said. “They're training well and happy. They'll have another piece of work next Saturday and hopefully everything keeps going that way.”

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Additional Belmont Stakes Tickets, Hospitality Options Now Available

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has released updated ticket and hospitality options for the 2021 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. The newly available ticket inventory reflects updated New York State guidance for large outdoor events that allows for fully vaccinated stadium sections to operate at full capacity.

In accordance with those guidelines, which take effect on May 19, NYRA has updated its inventory to include availability within hospitality areas such as the Marquee Tent and individual reserved seat sections in the clubhouse that will be designated as fully vaccinated. To purchase tickets in these sections, fans can visit Ticketmaster.com and select from sections designated for fully vaccinated guests.

Headlined by the 153rd running of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on Saturday, June 5, the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival kicks off on Thursday, June 3 and will include 17 stakes races in total with eight Grade 1 races to be contested on Belmont Stakes Day.

The 2021 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will mark the return of the Belmont Stakes to its customary spot on the racing calendar and its famed distance of 1 1/2 miles. In 2020, a readjustment to the stakes schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic saw the “Test of the Champion” contested at a one-turn 1 1/8 miles while serving as the initial leg of the Triple Crown series for the first time in history.

Ticketholders in vaccinated sections must present proof of a completed vaccination series prior to entry into the section. All guests who have been vaccinated in New York State are encouraged to provide secure proof using the New York State Excelsior Pass.

Young adults and children under the age of 16 who are not yet eligible for the vaccine may accompany and be seated with a vaccinated adult in a fully vaccinated section.

For additional information on health and safety protocols in effect for the 2021 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, please visit: https://www.belmontstakes.com/tickets/know-before-you-go.

For additional information and details on hospitality offerings, ticket packages and pricing, visit BelmontStakes.com. For full terms and conditions, visit https://www.belmontstakes.com/tickets.

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$1 Million Bonus Offered To Any Japan-Based Horse Who Wins Belmont Stakes

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced it will again offer a $1 million bonus to the connections of any Japan-based horse who wins the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes slated for Saturday, June 5 at Belmont Park.

The three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival from Thursday, June 3 through Saturday, June 5 will encompass 17 total stakes, including eight Grade 1s on Belmont Stakes Day, capped by the $1.5 million “Test of the Champion” for 3-year-olds in the 1 ½-mile final leg of the Triple Crown.

Tickets for the 2021 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival are not yet on sale to the public. Additional information and the timing of the general on-sale will be released in the coming weeks.

The $1 million bonus, offered for the first time in 2017, is in addition to the $800,000 winner's share of the Belmont Stakes, which is contested at 1 ½ miles [2,400 meters], the same distance as classic races in Japan.

In 2017, the Japan-based Lani competed in all three legs of the Triple Crown, with his best showing being a third-place finish in the Belmont Stakes.

The Japan-based Master Fencer, who was elevated to sixth in the 2019 Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, closed to finish fifth in that year's Grade 1 Belmont.

To qualify for the bonus, a horse must have made at least three starts in Japan prior to starting in the Belmont and must be nominated to North America's Triple Crown series. In the event of a dead heat, the connections will receive a $600,000 bonus.

For more information, visit www.BelmontStakes.com.

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