The 140th Kentucky Derby is set to be held Saturday afternoon, and Churchill Downs Chair & CEO Bob Evans said approximately 150,000-160,000 people will attend the race. With Friday’s crowd at the track for the Kentucky Oaks estimated to be around 115,000, Evans said the total combined attendance for the two days is “roughly a third of our overall company’s performance” for the year.

This will mark the first Kentucky Derby since Churchill Downs installed a $12M HD video board that is more than 15,000 square feet in size. Evans said, “It’s really a neat feature, something no other racetrack has ever done. We wanted to do something to help the folks in the infield” (“Fast Money Halftime Report,” CNBC, 5/2).

Meanwhile, Derby Saturday "will be a big day" for Santa Anita in California. The track will have an 11-race card, a simulcast of the race in Kentucky, a "Derby Hat contest with $1,000 in cash prizes and a Bluegrass Party with craft beers, live music and food trucks" (L.A. TIMES, 5/1).

Hawks-Pacers Game 6 Thursday night stands as NBA TV’s most-viewed telecast ever, averaging 1,071,000 total viewers. The game peaked with 1,978,000 total viewers from 9:30-9:45pm ET, the final minutes of a game that saw the No. 1-seed Pacers came from behind and force a Game 7. That 15 minutes is the net’s most-watched quarter-hour ever. NBA TV’s seven originally produced live broadcasts during the first round of the playoffs averaged 720,000 total viewers, a 237% jump from '13 (NBA TV).

FS Indiana also set a record with Hawks-Pacers Game 6. It earned a 10.4 local rating, making it the highest-rated telecast ever on the net. The previous high was a 10.1 set in '99 for Game 1 of the Pacers-76ers Eastern Conference Semifinals (Fox Sports).

ESPN Friday at a World Cup preview event in N.Y. announced ESPN Films will be developing a six-part, "Hard Knocks"-style documentary series on the U.S. national team. "Inside: U.S. Soccer's March to Brazil" will debut May 13 and continue to June 11, just before the start of group play. ESPN also debuted a new marketing spot for the World Cup, entitled "Global Issues." Among other changes in ESPN's planned World Cup coverage: an expansion in postgame nightly studio coverage from 30 minutes to 90 minutes and the addition of ABC News' Bob Woodruff and Paula Faris to the coverage team.

The net has branded its forthcoming World Cup production as the most extensive and complex of any event in its 35-year history. The efforts arrive even as ESPN lost the rights to the '18 and '22 World Cups to Fox. "Our commitment to soccer remains very sincere, very high and we want to leave behind after this event a very high bar," ESPN President John Skipper said. Fox Sports execs have been invited to Brazil to see ESPN's World Cup production to help ensure what Skipper called "a proper handoff."

The Pro Football HOF Saturday and Sunday will host its inaugural traveling Fan Fest at I-X Center in Cleveland, with four separate shows featuring 100 HOFers. The weekend will include Q&A sessions, football clinics and Terry Bradshaw twice performing his one-man show (Pro Football HOF).

Pro Football HOF Enterprises President & CEO George Veras said, "It's an audacious attempt to let the Hall of Famers meet and greet the fans. ... Nobody has ever tried something like this" (ESPN.com, 4/30). Veras hopes the event one day "turns into the pop culture equivalent of the mega-popular San Diego Comic-Con, even though the plan for Fan Fest is to rotate it among major cities across the U.S." (Willoughby NEWS-HERALD, 4/28).

Saturday's White House Correspondents' Dinner will draw a "fairly stellar group of athletes" as guests of various media outlets (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 5/1). Sports personalities slated be on hand for the event include Redskins QB Kirk Cousins, U.S. snowboarder Sage Kotsenburg, Colts QB Andrew Luck, West Virginia AD Oliver Luck, Panthers QB Cam Newton, Vikings RB Adrian Peterson, FS1's Andy Roddick, Cowboys QB Tony Romo, Seahawks CB Richard Sherman, Michael Strahan, and U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn (THEHILL.com, 5/1).

Romo will be at the Fox News table along with his brother-in-law, actor Chase Crawford, and singers Rick Springfield and Richard Marx. He has "attended the dinner multiple times" (DALLASNEWS.com, 5/1).

The Florida state House on Friday afternoon "after a debate" passed a bill that would give Daytona Int'l Speedway and other sports venues an "avenue for millions of dollars in state sales-tax incentives." The bill, which passed the state Senate Friday morning, now heads to Gov. Rick Scott's desk (NEWS-JOURNAL.com, 5/2).

The Magic have exercised their options to extend the contracts of GM Rob Hennigan and coach Jacque Vaughn through the '15-16 NBA season (Magic).

Wilson Sporting Goods announced a baseball glove endorsement deal with Mariners 2B Robinson Cano, whose status as part of the Wilson Advisory Staff will allow him to offer input on future glove designs (Wilson).

"The best hockey in the world happens when the Bruins and Canadiens play each other, and there is no room for this kind of ignorance here" – Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, on Bruins fans directing racial slurs at Canadiens D P.K. Subban after his game-winning goal in double OT Thursday night (ESPNBOSTON.com, 5/2).

"The cost for players now of playing professionally, with coaches and physios and nutritionalists, is significant. To maintain the standard, we need to be paying across the board" – ATP Tour Exec Chair & President Chris Kermode, on increasing prize money for Challenger Tour players (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 5/2).

"I’m sure this announcement yesterday probably just scratches the surface in regard to some of the things we are going to do in the future with him” – PGA of America President Ted Bishop, on awarding the '22 Senior PGA Championship to Trump National Bedminster, which is owned by Donald Trump (“Morning Drive,” Golf Channel, 5/2).

“We’ve sold well over 2,000 new season tickets since the season ended, so we’ll start next season at 10,000 season tickets” – Wizards Owner Ted Leonsis, on the rising popularity of the team, which will begin its Eastern Conference Semifinal series on Monday (“Elliot in the Morning,” WWDC-FM, 5/2).

Boston Herald's Jon Couture: "This whole '#Bruins fans are racists' redux from Joel Ward 2012 offers a nice reminder that *every* fanbase you're not a part of sucks. … Philly boos injured players. Montreal fans boo U.S. anthem. N.Y. fans throw iceballs at players. S.F. fans cheered Bonds. We're all awful."

Angels P C.J. Wilson: "Well @DAVIDprice14 and I will have to get in line for our #clippersforsale bid. Oprah, money mayweather and de la hoya all bidding."

IOC member Angela Ruggiero: "Shout out to @BillieJeanKing for her amazing efforts to help women in sport over the last 4 decades! @WomensSportsFdn #WSFCELEBRATES40."

Int'l Tennis HOFer Billie Jean King: "The @WomensSportsFdn was started w/$5k check I received from @Gillette award Tony Randall presented me alongside Bob Hope. #WSFCELEBRATES40"

If you see a tweet we will not want to miss, send it to us at editorial@sportsbusinessdaily.com.

FRIDAY

The American Track League hosts its inaugural event at Indiana Univ. The free event, headlined by Lolo Jones, is the brainchild of agent Paul Doyle.

Popular video game YouTuber Chris Smoove visits Fenway Park to accept a challenge from Red Sox DH David Ortiz. The two play Sony's "MLB 14: The Show," eventually taking the competition to the ballpark video board.

FRIDAY

Motorsports TV journalist Dave Despain's new self-titled show debuts on MAVTV at 8:00pm ET.

C$210M – Final cost of the CFL Blue Bombers' stadium renovation project at Investors Group Field. BBB Stadium Inc. recently reached an agreement with Stuart Olson Dominion Construction, which built the 33,500-seat venue, on the "financial closeout related to the outstanding costs of construction" (WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, 5/2).