In a related story, it seems like everytime I go to the track with my non-racing-fan friends, they want to tear up their tickets whenever their horse is in last after 1/2 mile in a 9 furlong race. I try to explain that being in the back of the pack is not a bad thing all the time, but I don't think they are hearing me. I don't think non-racing fans understand pace.

how about hamerin hank shaking like a leaf calling hard sence..lmfao

Tom Hammond looked like an old drag queen who had just taken his wig off. Kenny Mayne tries a little too hard. Also they dont show all of the payouts after the races. P3s P4s Etc.

I liked ESPN...watch most the early triple crown days that they cover.

NBC is another story...I think they are horrible. What do they have 6-8 people covering it, but they don't cover anything.

If you in the infield, let's see the craziness.

If you're discussing the Derby, let's see it and analize it piece by piece.

They should look at more prep races and less human interest stories.

Spyder

ESPN does racing, NBC does drama. Both are necessary. That's how I feel about it.

Steve I agree about the comment from hammond about "That noise is the running of an undercard race..." Show the d@mn race guys!

The issue is that most of us here watch SIMULCASTS all the time. SIMO's are intended to provide racing/wagering info and generally do a decent job.
ESPN and NBC and ABC are in the "sports/entertainment" business not the simulcast business. They treat the event as if no one watching has a real wagering interest, and that is wrong. Twenty or even ten years ago it was OK, now it's not. Twenty years ago if you were planning on betting on the Preakness in the last 15 minutes, you were probably at an OTB. Today, you might be about to call in a wager or place one online and you want the network to give you betting info.
A few comments about both shows.
Ignoring the Schaefer was dopey.
Trying to get Matz to cry on TV was rude.
Hank Goldberg slurred more and more as the day went on.
Costas makes me crazy because he cannot seem to talk without putting his foot up on something.
Jeanine did a nice job handling the brakedown in the Dixie.
Donna Barton was good as usual.
Kenny Mayne gets old fast. His like the wiseass kid in 3rd grade who's funny at first...

ESPN shows nearly every undercard race on their telecasts, so I wouldn't lump them in with NBC in that regard, and I've never watched racing on ABC, so I can't comment on how they handle undercard races.

i'd watch dog racing if ken mayne was on the broadcast. hell, i'd watch a dog show. the man is flat funny. he and moss are a great pair.

low point on the espn show was the infield reporter asking a guy on the clean up crew what the worst thing he ever saw was. when he states "someone urinating", he cuts him off. what kind of answer was he expecting with that question? he should have gone with "what's the most foul thing you've ever heard someone say?". idiot.

i don't like goldberg but putting his slowly melting face next to jeanine edwards for a segment was too cruel for my taste.

why'd they stick beyer in the joke chair?

i like espn's coverage. they have knowledgeable people, that want to be there because they LIKE or Love horse racing!
the major networks have people that it is their next "big" assignment or "big" event, so that's how they handle it. people like bret mussberger, the derby was his next "big" event. ( i can't stand mussberger on a good day at any event)

i understand what they do with the production. they are not after those of us that come together on this board. they tring to get our wives and mothers or the people that think horse racing is over after the triple crown. they know those of us "here" will watch and the production is not for us. do i like the way it's produced? in most cases no but our sport is on national tv, take it how we can get it.

A few thought on the broadcasts:

-Absolutely love the fact ESPN broadcasts almost the entire undercard
-Kenny Mayne is absolutely hilarious and my favorite thing about the broadcast
-NBC is a freakin joke, having a nose to nose stretch duel going in a Grade III in the background as they return from commercial.

LOL, I said the same thing after I saw that nonsense. Like you said, what kind of answer was he expecting?

we went to charles town yesterday to watch the preakness and have dinner.
the tv at our table was on nbc, so i changed it to the Pimlico feed, so i could see the 11th race. as the horse approached the starting gate for the preakness, we had about 10 people standing at the end our table. final one spoke up and asked what channel we had on? the nbc satellite feed had gone down! they all rushed back to their tables and turned on the Pimlico feed, just in time for the start of the race.

very good point. painfull, indeed.

I was having problems with my live internet feed, and I figured that NBC would cover the 11th since ESPN had been showing all of the undercard races during their broadcast. I happened to make my largest win bet of the year on Flashy Bull. What a horrible feeling to not be able to watch that race.

well it cant be too horrible, since you cashed out nice! but I know how you feel, my preakness day wagering was centered around Flashy Bull in a DD so I had to run to DerbyTrail to get the results. DerbyTrail is so great for that.

yeah, they thought you would be more interested in a taped segment containing a boring interview with Todd Pletcher and a review of the finalists for the best hat of the Kentucky derby. I know I was riveted to my seat during those segments. The fact that they were missing a nice race which had major implications for all PK4 and Pk6 players meant nothing to them.

Hank has lost his wits... nothing about his commentary is insightful to me, usually. Moss is good and Mayne knows what he's doing and is a good sidekick. Jeannine Edwards does a good job on the sappy pieces that fill air time. :)

NBC did this on Derby Day as well, I think. I somehow missed the race before the Derby and I wanted to see it because of a P3 I was playing. Sheisters!!

You know what really annoys me about the NBC coverage more than anything? They have absolutely DONE AWAY with the money shot of the horses entering the first turn in the Derby. Don't you guys like seeing the first turn shot with the spires in the background??? What are they thinking doing away with that shot?!?

TV coverage
 

If I ran the production of covering a major horse race, here's the changes I would institute:

1. Eliminate the multitude of camera cuts during the race. Use the regular track feed during the live running. Tracks do this every day, TV networks cover racing a few days a year. If you want to use an overhead view or other view (PLEASE no head ons during the race), they should be used in replays.

2. Forget the trophy presentation. Who really wants to see some old rich guy who's not overly adept at public speaking taking credit for the race? Fill the time with more post race analysis from guys like Moss and Bailey.

3. Make sure the public knows who the 3rd and 4th place finishers are (unless there's a photo and it isn't established) as soon as possible after the race. DOn't cut to a fluff interview with Jeanine Edwards until the public knows the tri and super as well as the top 2.

4. TV must embrace racing as a gambling sport. The human interest stories get run into the ground. Gambling on racing is legal in most states, and obviously in the state where the televised race is taking place. Explain betting strategies and why one came up with their ticket.

5. Talk about other big races, not just the Triple Crown and Breeders Cup. Most of the non-racing public thinks there's 3, maybe 4 big days a year.

I'm sure there's more changes I'd make but these are the ones that come to mind. Why are networks so resistant to change?