Latest news with #151stKentuckyDerby
NBC Sports
01-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
AHMED FAREED NAMED STUDIO HOST FOR NBC SPORTS' BIG TEN COLLEGE COUNTDOWN AND MONDAY NIGHT NBA COVERAGE
Beginning in August, Fareed Will Host NBC Sports' Weekly Primetime College Football Studio Show on Saturday Nights on NBC and Peacock After Football, Fareed Will Host NBC Sports' NBA Studio Show on Monday Nights Exclusively on Peacock STAMFORD, Conn. – July 1, 2025 – Ahmed Fareed has been named NBC Sports' new host of Big Ten College Countdown, its weekly Saturday night primetime college football studio show that begins in August. Following the football season, he will also anchor NBC Sports' Monday night NBA coverage, presented exclusively on Peacock. An extremely versatile host, Fareed has already worked on many of NBC Sports' biggest events and across numerous sports and properties, including the Paris, Beijing, Tokyo, PyeongChang, and Rio Olympics; the Paris and Beijing Paralympics; Premier League; Major League Baseball; college football and basketball; horse racing, and more. 'College football under the lights is sacred, and we've got the crew to match its energy. Plus, helping shape our NBA coverage in its return to NBC Sports? I can't wait to start,' Fareed said. 'I'm thankful to be trusted with these roles. I'm even more motivated by the responsibility that comes with them.' In May, Fareed hosted the majority of the 151st Kentucky Derby in place of Mike Tirico, who left following an allergic reaction. His performance was critically acclaimed, with The Athletic writing, 'Fareed seamlessly handled the host role and found easy chemistry with hosts Jerry Bailey and Randy Moss. Excellent work.' 'Ahmed has repeatedly demonstrated his passion for storytelling, love of college football, and ability to meet the big moments,' said Sam Flood, Executive Producer, NBC Sports. 'He's a wonderful teammate who makes every event he touches feel bigger and forms an instant connection with his analysts. Ahmed's leadership and presence will continue to be a tremendous asset to our coverage of these premier properties.' Fareed, who worked as the in-stadium host and occasional studio host on NBC Sports' first two season of Big Ten football coverage, replaces Maria Taylor as the host of Big Ten College Countdown as she pivots to a new NBA role. Peacock will present exclusive national Monday night NBA games starting this fall as part of NBCUniversal's new media rights agreement with the NBA. Additionally, NBC and Peacock will present doubleheaders on Tuesday nights beginning in October. After Sunday Night Football coverage concludes in Jan. 2026, NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball across NBC and Peacock, debuting on Feb. 1. As previously announced, Taylor will host Sunday and Tuesday nights. Fareed has prior experience working on the NBA, serving as a host on NBC Sports Bay Area's coverage of the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings from 2013-2018. During his tenure with Bay Area, he covered three Warriors NBA championships (2015, 2017, 2018) and five postseason appearances. Fareed won a Sports Emmy as part of NBCUniversal's coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics, which was honored as Outstanding Live Special – Championship Event. For more information on Fareed, click here. *** In July 2024, NBCUniversal and the NBA announced an 11-year agreement to present NBA and WNBA regular-season and playoff basketball games across numerous platforms beginning with the 2025-26 season. Peacock will livestream exclusive national Monday night games while NBC/Peacock will present doubleheaders on Tuesday nights. NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball in 2026 across NBC and Peacock, providing NBA fans with three consecutive nights of national coverage across NBCUniversal platforms during the second half of the regular season. For more information on the agreement, click here. NBC Sports has already announced that Jamal Crawford, Reggie Miller, and Grant Hill will serve as game analysts; Carmelo Anthony and Vince Carter as studio analysts; Maria Taylor as studio host; and Mike Tirico and Noah Eagle as play-by-play voices. Michael Jordan has been announced as a special contributor. Emmy Award-winning producer Frank DiGraci is NBC Sports' NBA coordinating producer. In a nod to its original era of NBA coverage from 1990-2002, NBC Sports is bringing back Roundball Rock, one of the most iconic and beloved theme songs in sports history, and will use an AI-generated voice of the late Jim Fagan, a longtime NBC Sports narrator whose voice was synonymous with its NBA coverage and promotion. Additional information about NBC Sports' 2025-26 NBA coverage will be announced soon. ABOUT NBC SPORTS NBC Sports connects sports fans to the moments that matter most with premier live events, insightful studio shows, and compelling original programming. As the sports division of NBCUniversal, NBC Sports produces, programs, and promotes premier content across numerous linear and digital platforms, including NBC and Peacock. NBC Sports possesses an unparalleled collection of media rights agreements, partnering and presenting many of the most prestigious sports properties in the world: the International Olympic Committee, International Paralympic Committee, United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, the NFL, NBA, WNBA, Big Ten Conference, Big East Conference, Notre Dame, NASCAR, PGA TOUR, USGA, PGA of America, The R&A, Churchill Downs, Premier League, and many more. It is renowned for making big events bigger and has produced some of the most-watched sporting events in U.S. media history, including Olympic Games, Super Bowls, and Sunday Night Football, primetime television's No. 1 show for 14 consecutive years. --NBC SPORTS--
Winnipeg Free Press
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Sovereignty touched by Manitoba magic
It's a long and winding road from St. Laurent, Man., to the Kentucky Derby, but Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott found the way. When Sovereignty came powering down the stretch to win the 151st Kentucky Derby five weeks ago for Mott, it marked the third time in four years that Manitoba had a strong connection to the Run for the Roses. In 2022, 80-1 shot Rich Strike became the first horse in history out of a Manitoba-bred mare to win the Kentucky Derby. Rich Strike was out of Gold Strike, who was bred by Winnipegger Dick Bonnycastle of Harlequin Romance fame. In 2023, Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan was sired by Goldencents, who is out of a Manitoba-bred named Golden Works, a two-time winner at Assiniboia Downs bred by Phil Kives. JEFF ROBERSON / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES Sovereignty crosses the finish line to win the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby early in May this year. Now, we've got 71-year-old Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, who stomped the terra in St. Laurent, during his formative years with horses, as the conditioner of the 2025 Kentucky Derby winner. 'My father and his partner owned some property near St. Laurent,' said Mott from his barn in New York. 'We had a ranch up there. I spent a couple of years on the ranch when I was 12 and 13 years old. We had eight or nine hundred head of cattle up there every summer. That was before I went to the racetrack, but we made a few trips to Assiniboia Downs. My father was a veterinarian, and he always loved horses, so we went to the races in Winnipeg.' 'My father bought a couple horses out of Winnipeg. He bought a horse named Royal Envy from Assiniboia Downs and sent him to me at Park Jefferson. We won some races with him, he was a pretty neat horse. I knew some guys who raced up there on a regular basis. 'Roy Bittner and Melvin Schanzenbach would come down to Atokad in Nebraska when Assinboia Downs closed up. I was just a kid then, in 67-68. 'Schanzy' had a horse named John Jet. He was lengths ahead of the other South Dakota-breds. He brought him back in the fall of the year to win some of the bigger races.' In 1998, at age 45, Mott surpassed H. Allen Jerkens as the youngest trainer ever to be inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame. He's won 15 Breeders Cup races, two Kentucky Derbies, two Belmont Stakes and the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer in North America four times. He's won 5,513 races and over US$360 million in purses. He started training horses shortly after leaving Manitoba, which he recalled fondly. 'I was living on the ranch in St. Laurent by myself after we got it fenced,' said Mott. 'Then it was just me and a guy named Swede Benoit from South Dakota. We took care of all the cattle and the horses. You have to ride up there. It's pretty rough country. You don't just drive around the pasture. There's some lowlands, and a lot of trees and brush. We rode everyday checking the cattle, taking care of them. 'The first year we were up there we didn't even have a shower. We heated water up and took baths in a wash tub. The second year my Dad put in a shower. We were first class then. I've got a lot of good memories of my time up there. I loved it.' One of the things that sets the great trainers apart from the good ones is their empathy for horses. Hall of Famer Jerkens, widely regarded as one of the best horse trainers in the history of the sport, had it. Hall of Famer Charlie Whittingham, the all-time leading trainer of stakes winners in California had it. Mott definitely has it, for both people and horses. I first noticed it in Mott when I was covering Cigar at the 1995 Breeders' Cup at Belmont Park for the Thoroughbred Times. One of the most famous horses in the history of the sport, Cigar was in the midst of establishing a 16-race winning streak of the likes that hadn't been seen since the mighty Citation accomplished a similar feat in the late 1940s. On one memorable morning the Belmont backstretch was flooded, and I was the lone reporter standing outside Cigar's barn in the pouring rain. Mott asked me why I was standing outside getting drenched, and I told him my job was to cover Cigar for the week. 'I'm not supposed to let you in the barn,' he said. 'But you can't stand out there. Come on in.' I met Cigar, and his groom Juan Campozano, who, along with Mott, let me pet the most famous horse in the world at the time. It was one of those special moments in life that you never forget, thanks to the kindness of Mott. On the morning of the 1995 Breeders' Cup Classic, I walked out to the track with Cigar, who was accompanied by Mott on his pony. It was still raining and the track would be sloppy that day, and we wondered what Cigar would think of it. The moment Cigar stepped on the racetrack he reared up and looked like Pegasus. There would be no beating him that day. He won by 2-1/2 lengths and it was never in doubt. Immediately after the race, I was standing on the track beside his owner Allen Paulson and he turned to me and said, 'He's something else, isn't he.' Later that evening at the barn, Mott and everyone in the barn connected to Cigar signed a numbered print for me. While gathered around the barn, Mott tried to read a poem entitled Of Cigar, Smoke and Mirrors by Cigar as told to Gilda A. Libero, who at the time was walking horses for Mott, and who now works as the program co-ordinator at the New York Racing Association. 'I couldn't get through it,' said Mott. 'I kept tearing up.' The last half of the poem read: JESSICA HILL / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Trainer Bill Mott (right) lifts the August Belmont trophy as jockey Junior Alvarado looks on after winning the 157th running of the Belmont Stakes with Sovereignty. The knowledge of what lies within is my hidden wealth. For when all the talk is said and done, and judgements handed in, I, and those who love me know, what's there has always been. Eye to eye, who dares to look, I capture their reflection. A mirrored gaze reveals their soul, now open to detection. With knowledge of the answer, a question I do ask: Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Rise up now, so truth be known, are YOU equal to the task? Sovereignty was up to the task in the Kentucky Derby. As was his trainer. The two friends teamed up again to win the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga last Saturday. Sovereignty's Kentucky Derby win was reminiscent of one of the best conditioning jobs in history to win the Derby, accomplished by Charlie Whittingham with Ferdinand in 1986. Mott and Whittingham knew they had a Derby horse long before the race. When asked about the comparison and credited for the work he did with Sovereignty, Mott was humble as always. 'He's a good horse,' he said. 'And I guess they make you look good.' Sometimes, there's a reason.
USA Today
30-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Panthers WR Xavier Legette may be taking another sport by storm
Panthers WR Xavier Legette may be taking another sport by storm The legend of Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette continues to grow. On Wednesday, the second-year pass catcher attended Game 5 of the NHL's Eastern Conference Finals between the Florida Panthers and the hometown Carolina Hurricanes. Legette, thanks to Bleacher Report, was mic'd up for the occasion—and he did not disappoint. Check it out: Legette's fun-filled offseason also featured a stop at Churchill Downs, where he served as a correspondent for the NFL during the 151st Kentucky Derby. Needless to say, his lovable personality and passion for horses made him one of the stars in Louisville earlier this month. Oh, and he might have won over the crowd at the Lenovo Center as well . . . Unfortunately for Legette and the Caniacs, the Hurricanes dropped the game and the series in a 5-3 loss. But hey, at least some kind of Panther—albeit the one from Miami—came out with a win. Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
Forbes
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
The 9 Horses Competing in the 2025 Preakness Stakes
Sovereignty #18, ridden by jockey Junior Alvarado, pushes ahead of Journalism #8 to win the 151st ... More running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 3, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by) Nine horses have traveled to Maryland to celebrate the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, May 17, at Baltimore's Pimlico Race Course. With two-thirds of the Preakness field fresh to the Triple Crown in 2025 not having run in the Kentucky Derby, only Journalism, Sandman and American Promise are familiar names for fans of the 151stKentucky Derby. The Preakness Stakes is the second race in horse racing's Triple Crown, coming just two weeks after the Kentucky Derby and three weeks before the Belmont Stakes. The race is contested on the dirt track of Pimlico. The 7:01 p.m. Eastern post time for the Preakness could have featured up to 14 3-year-olds, but this year's field is set at nine qualified horses. Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty, though, isn't one of those thoroughbreds, with trainer Bill Mott skipping the Baltimore race in favor of additional rest time ahead of the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in New York on June 7. The starting gate with the pack of eight horses during the 149th running of the Preakness Stakes at ... More Pimlico Race Course on May 18, 2024, in Baltimore. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images) With the milestone year for the Preakness, it also marks the last race before Pimlico undergoes a major rebuild that will push at least the 2026 running of the Preakness to another track. But with all eyes on the 2025 running, let's explore the nine horses in the field in order of starting position. Trainer: Bob Baffert Jockey: Flavien Prat Sire: Not This Time Odds: 6-1 Goal Oriented has only run two races. The horse has won them both, sure, but neither were a stakes race. The biggest win in the career of Goal Oriented was an allowance optional claiming race on May 3 at Churchill Downs. Trainer: Michael W. McCarthy Jockey: Umberto Rispoli Sire: Curlin Odds: 8-5 The favorite going into the Kentucky Derby, Journalism finished second, getting passed by Sovereignty on the sloppy track in Louisville. Journalism is again positioned as the favorite in a Triple Crown contest. Trainer: D. Waye Lukas Jockey: Nik Juarez Sire: Justify Odds: 15-1 The son of Triple Crown winner Justify was just 16th in the Kentucky Derby, but the crowded field may have hampered the horse's chances. Jockey Nik Juarez is a native of nearby Westminster, Maryland. Trainer: Jamie A. Osborne Jockey: Saffie Osborne Sire: Honor A.P. Odds: 12-1 Bred in the United Kingdom, but with his last five starts in Dubai, Heart of Honor has plenty of racing history already in his career. Trainer Jamie Osborne has his daughter, Saffie Osborne, as the jockey for the Preakness. LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - MAY 03: Burnham Square and Journalism head to the first turn during the 151st ... More running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 03, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by) Trainer: Michael E. Gorham Jockey: Raul Mena Sire: Improbable Odds: 20-1 Having won four of his last five races, Pay Billy isn't just a clever name in that the horse got into the field thanks to a $60,000 purchase earning him an automatic bid. While trainer Michael Gorham has won more than 1,400 races since starting his career in 1985, he's never had a horse run the Preakness. Trainer: Todd A. Pletcher Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr. Sire: Maclean's Music Odds: 9-2 While qualified for the Kentucky Derby, River Thames was held out to give the horse more time to prepare for the Preakness. The horse also has the speed to keep up with Derby winner Sovereignty, getting edged by the winner in a March 1 race. Trainer Todd Pletcher, 0-10 at the Preakness, is looking for his first middle jewel of the Triple Crown. Trainer: Mark E. Casse Jockey: John Velazquez Sire: Tapit Odds: 4-1 The Arkansas Derby winner, who was bought for $1.2 million, placed seventh at the Kentucky Derby earlier in May. Now one of the favorites for the Preakness, the ownership group is hoping to play 'Enter Sandman,' the Metallica song the horse is named after, all night after the Preakness. Trainer: Steven M. Asmussen Jockey: Jose Ortiz Sire: American Pharoah Odds: 5-1 Son of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, Clever Again has only raced three times. Still, the last two starts were impressive victories. Trainer: Brendan P. Walsh Jockey: Luis Saez Sire: Nyquist Odds: 20-1 Gosger's sire, Nyquist, was third in the 2016 Preakness, but this young racer will be making just his fourth start when he goes into the starting gate last at the Preakness. NBC has the rights to the Preakness and plans to air coverage during the day on Saturday, first on CNBC. Coverage switches to NBC and the company's Peacock streaming service at 4 p.m. Eastern, roughly three hours before the race.
The Star
14-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Big heart, big lungs, powerful legs: What makes a champion racing horse
On a crisp, clear morning, a chestnut thoroughbred thundered down the dirt strip at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky in the United States, his exercise rider leaning forward above the saddle. Other horse-and-rider pairs followed. Dr Will Farmer looked down from a viewing point, admiring the speed and agility of the 450kg animals. The Kentucky Derby took place here recently, shining a global spotlight on equine athleticism. It's the subject of a growing body of research that cites a constellation of characteristics: big hearts, immense lung capacity, robust musculoskeletal systems and long, thin legs – all of which helped horses survive in the wild. 'It goes back to the roots: They are an animal of prey,' said Farmer, a veterinarian and equine medical director at Churchill Downs. 'That's how they got away from being eaten.' Horses honed skills such as running, jumping and pulling as humans bred and trained them for various purposes over millennia. And the 151st Derby – horse racing's most-watched event – will draw attention not only to the animals' skills, but also to concerns about their treatment and health. Advocates have long raised concerns about deaths and injuries – calls that were amplified two years ago, when 12 horses died at Churchill Downs. The thoroughbred horse Sovereignty crossing the finish line to win the 151st Kentucky Derby recently. —/AFP Big, strong heart There's no doubt that war, agriculture and societies have been transformed by the human-horse relationship. 'Horses allowed us to circumvent our own biological limitations as a species,' said Timothy Winegard, a historian at Colorado Mesa University and author of a recent book, The Horse. 'We combined our brains with the horses' size, strength, stamina and speed to form the most unstoppable animal coalition.' A horse's heart and lungs are the source of its extraordinary power. The heart averages 4.5kg-5.4kg, or about 1% of the animal's body weight, compared with 0.5% for the typical human heart. Secretariat, the storied horse that won the Triple Crown in 1973, was found after his death to have a heart weighing more than 9kg. Horse hearts are built for exertion. The average horse can go from a resting heart rate of about 34 beats per minute to 220 or 240 while racing – faster than a human heart during maximum exertion. 'One thing that's really unique about horses is that they have an incredible capacity to move blood around their bodies – their heart rate can go really high and still be safe,' said University of Connecticut researcher Sarah Reed, editor-in-chief of the journal, Animal Frontiers. They also have a lung capacity of 60 litres – 10 times that of humans. 'That massive lung field allows for oxygen to transfer from the air into their blood, which is vitally important for sustaining aerobic energy,' Farmer said. The average horse has a lung capacity that is 10 times that of a human. — AP It's biology Recent research in the journal Science found that a genetic mutation enables horses to avoid negative side effects of super high energy production. 'Horses are great athletes because they can deliver a lot of oxygen to their muscles – way more than an elite human can – and by elite human, I mean Olympic athlete,' said Gianni Castiglione, the study's co-author. 'They have a bigger tank of gas and they have a more efficient engine ... and this mutation is contributing to both of those things.' Other aspects of a horse's biology enhance its abilities. Horses store extra red blood cells in their spleens. These cells are released to carry even more oxygen around the body during intense exertion. 'Adrenaline when exercising causes the spleen to release extra red blood cells into circulation,' veterinarian Hilary Clayton said. 'What horses are doing is essentially 'blood doping' themselves.' Meanwhile, horses' brains allow them to process sensory information and react quickly. That's despite having frontal lobes, parts of the brain used for thought and planning that are proportionally smaller than those in humans. 'Brainwise, they're designed with a real desire to play and run independent of any fear,' said Dr. Scott Bailey, a veterinarian at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky. The place is a thoroughbred breeding farm where Secretariat is buried. Horses are also able to focus intently, which 'is really important for an athlete'. Bone structure and musculature also help. The ligaments and tendons in their hind legs act like springs, Farmer said, helping propel them forward. Like other large prey animals, he added, they have 'long, thin legs that are meant to run'. Legs for days The adaptations that make horses faster also predispose them to injury, Reed said. Their skinny legs absorb the impact of each stride, she said, and over time the repetitive stress of racing and training can lead to deformation of tendons and ligaments. In 2023, deaths occurred not only at Churchill Downs, but other major racing venues, affecting public perceptions of the sport and sparking changes. Reviews found no single cause for the deaths. But for 2024, Churchill Downs upgraded equipment used on its dirt surface and added an equine safety and integrity veterinarian. In its annual report, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority noted the steps being taken to reduce injuries and fatalities – expanded veterinary protocols, pre-race inspections and uniform medication oversight. And, it said, the rate of deaths at authority-accredited tracks dropped in 2024, by 27%. Experts say a healthy, safe environment brings out the best in a horse – but they still don't know what makes certain horses standouts at the race track. 'That's the million-dollar question,' Bailey said. 'Every thoroughbred owner is trying to match the genetics of the parents in order to make the horse with the greatest chance of winning.' Breeding is only part of the equation, experts said; nurture, training and the horse-rider relationship also factor in. Each time a horse emerges seemingly out of nowhere to win the Kentucky Derby, Farmer is reminded of this. 'You don't have to be this star-studded bred horse that cost a million dollars at sale to come and win and be a great runner,' he said, raising his voice slightly above the din of galloping hooves. 'There are a lot of great horses.' – AP
