NBC Sports will again provide extensive coverage of the $5 million Kentucky Derby (G1) May 3 as well as the $1.5 million Kentucky Oaks (G1) May 2.
The Oaks day coverage will be carried by USA Network beginning at 1 p.m. ET Friday from Churchill Downs. On Saturday, fans can get all the action from beneath the Twin Spires by tuning into USA Network from noon-2:30 p.m. Horse racing will be front and center on NBC after that, leading to the scheduled 6:57 p.m. ET Derby post time. Viewers also may stream the shows on Peacock, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app.
Veteran analyst Randy Moss will play a prominent role for NBC in setting the stage for the opening leg of the Triple Crown and later detailing how the 1 1/4-mile contest was won. Moss recently helped separate pretenders from contenders during a question-and-answer session with Tom Pedulla conducted on behalf of America's Best Racing.
PEDULLA: Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse and jockey Jose Ortiz are each seeking their first Kentucky Derby victories. Can Sandman provide that?
MOSS: Absolutely. He's one of the horses that should be on everyone's short list. He definitely got a perfect pace set-up in the Arkansas Derby for his running style. But the chances are he's going to get a similar setup in the Kentucky Derby.
PEDULLA: Does the mile-and-a-quarter distance move up Sovereignty?
MOSS: I think it does. From day one, in all of Sovereignty's races, he looks like a horse that is going to do better as the distances get longer. His pedigree doesn't necessarily scream a mile and a quarter. Into Mischief is, obviously, the sport's super-stallion right now, and it can go any way with him. But the one thing Sovereignty has shown is that the mile and a quarter shouldn't be any issue for him at all.
PEDULLA: Which horse do you see as trainer Bob Baffert's best hope?
MOSS: None of the above. I think Citizen Bull was probably exposed a bit in the Santa Anita Derby when he wasn't able to control the pace as he was in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and the American Pharoah (Stakes) before that. There may be something to what Baffert said about the horse not being in peak racing condition in hindsight. But still, given the pace that is likely to develop in the Kentucky Derby, it is not likely to work in favor of Citizen Bull or Rodriguez.
PEDULLA: Does jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. have a shot to win a second consecutive Derby when he rides Burnham Square?
MOSS: Burnham Square, his running style is going to be helped by the expected fast pace in the Derby. But, from a handicapping perspective, I didn't particularly like his Blue Grass Stakes. I know he won. He was barely able to get up to catch East Avenue in a race in which East Avenue was asked for everything from the time the gate opened. For a potential Kentucky Derby winner, I would have preferred to see more of an authoritative win, given the way the Blue Grass developed. ... That's one of the reasons why I don't put Burnham Square on my short list of top Derby contenders.
PEDULLA: Is Coal Battle more than a sentimental favorite?
MOSS: I do think there is something to what (trainer) Lonnie Briley said about Coal Battle being a little too aggressive during the running of the Arkansas Derby and maybe making a bit of an early move into a hot pace. But, having said that, the extent to which he emptied out in the last furlong gives me concern about how he will handle the mile and a quarter in another fast-paced race. It would be a wonderful, wonderful story if Coal Battle were to win. I think it's the best feel-good story going into the Kentucky Derby.
PEDULLA: Can the maiden Publisher allow Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen to notch his first Derby win?
MOSS: Absolutely. I think Publisher is going in the right direction. Even though he has never won a race, his Arkansas Derby was a strong race. He's got to take another step forward, but the way he has trained, the way he has breezed since the Arkansas Derby, seems to indicate that he is continuing to improve. His late-running style will be beneficial.
PEDULLA: Is East Avenue a puzzle to you?
MOSS: Not really. When he won the Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland, he did it with an early lead. Everyone expected him to set the pace in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, but he basically fell on his head when the starting gate opened and completely ruined the front-running strategy. He came back again in the Risen Star (Stakes), he was beaten to the lead by Magnitude, and they tried to rate him off the pace, and he ran poorly. It became apparent that he might be one of these one-dimensional horses that needs the early lead to be at his best. That is definitely the way he was ridden when the starting gate opened in the Blue Grass. He was hustled as hard as a horse can be hustled in the early part of that race with the intent to get the lead.
PEDULLA: Is American Promise good enough to give legendary 89-year-old trainer D. Wayne Lukas one more Derby?
MOSS: This horse is a big, gorgeous chestnut. He definitely will be one of the best-looking horses in the Kentucky Derby field. He took a nice step forward in the Virginia Derby. It was an inspired race choice by Wayne Lukas. I can't say that he doesn't have a shot. He visually was impressive in that race. The competition level in that race was definitely a cut below the graded prep races we saw later. He's going to have to improve, but he has the looks and he looks like he's going in the right direction.
PEDULLA: How do you view Japan's hopes for its first Derby win with Admire Daytona and Luxor Café?
MOSS: Luxor Café doesn't look as strong to me as Forever Young last year or even Derma Sotogake two years ago. Having said that, he's a more difficult horse for us to gauge because Forever Young and Derma Sotogake raced in the Middle East before coming to the United States. They raced on the same racing card as American horses with established form, so it was easier for us to get a line on those horses before they got to the Kentucky Derby. Luxor Café has never run out of Japan against horses we are familiar with. It is admittedly a little fuzzy trying to figure out how good Luxor Café is.
PEDULLA: What about Admire Daytona?
MOSS: His effort in the UAE Derby was substandard based on what he is going to have to do to win the Kentucky Derby. Also, he went wire-to-wire in the UAE Derby and that's not the type of running style that is going to help his chances in the Kentucky Derby.
PEDULLA: Would you agree that Japan is closing in on a historic Derby triumph?
MOSS: It is going to happen and it is probably going to happen sooner rather than later.
PEDULLA: Can you give me a live longshot?
MOSS: Grande, the second-place finisher in the Wood Memorial (Stakes) behind Rodriguez. Grande was wide on the first turn, he was a little wide on the second turn. Rodriguez was able to control the pace. It wasn't especially fast, and yet Grande was able to take a nice step forward and finished strongly to finish second. I think that gives him a shot to be in the mix in the Kentucky Derby at a nice price.
PEDULLA: Lastly, who do you like to win?
MOSS: Right now, I think it is pretty clear that Journalism is head and shoulders over the other horses. To me, he is two to three lengths better than the rest of the field.
