The move by ABC to show last Saturday's Wood Memorial
horse race on tape delay has left NY Racing Association
(NYRA) officials "scratching their heads" and "angered
viewers," according to Matt Hegarty of the DAILY RACING
FORM. ABC showed live coverage of the NHL playoffs and "cut
into the one-hour time slot" of the race, which was
scheduled to begin at 5:00pm ET, but was delayed "as much
as" 30 minutes in some markets. Hegarty: "Might ABC have
been taking revenge against NYRA because the network lost
the broadcast rights to the Triple Crown last year after
being outbid by NBC?" NYRA Dir of Broadcast Communications
& Promotions Bill Nader: "Those perceptions are definitely
out there, but it's over with, and there's nothing we can do
about it." But ABC Sports VP/Sports Media Relations Mark
Mandel said that ABC "was not exacting revenge on" NYRA.
Mandel: "We have done horse racing with pride for many
years, and that is not how we do business around here. We
still have three very important events on the way, and we
are going to treat those with respect" (DRF, 4/19).
