Stop And Smell The Roses

The running of the 135th Kentucky Derby will take place Saturday at Churchill Downs, and the fastest two-minutes in sports remains one of horse racing's top drawing cards. The race traditionally does very well among female viewers, and NBC this year is taking notice. The Peacock is expanding its coverage to include programming across the entire NBC Universal lineup, including Derby-themed programming on Bravo and Oxygen. The Derby has carved out a place in the sporting culture over the years, as Daily Racing Form Publisher Steven Crist notes Churchill Downs has done a successful job of branding the Derby as “America’s race.” However, with this marking the anniversary of Eight Belles’ breakdown following her second-place finish last year -- and Barbaro’s breakdown in the ’06 Preakness still fresh in fans’ memories -- the sport clearly needs to avoid another catastrophe.