ESPN has pulled out of negotiations for the Belmont Stakes, meaning that NBC almost certainly will pick up its TV rights and all three Triple Crown races will be reunited on the same network for the first time since '05. In a statement released to THE DAILY, ESPN said, "Our contract was up and we elected not to renew. It did not make good business sense to renew so we have moved on and will focus our horse racing coverage on the Breeders' Cup." NBC holds the Kentucky Derby rights through '15; Preakness rights are still in flux, but NBC is likely to get those as well, sources said. ESPN has carried the Belmont on ABC since '06 after signing a five-year, $20M deal for the race. To cut that deal, the Belmont broke up the Triple Crown broadcasts, as the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes both stayed with NBC. NYRA, which runs the three largest horse-racing tracks in New York, recently has spoken of the desire to get all Triple Crown races on the same TV network. Interestingly, NYRA hired former ESPN exec Len DeLuca to help sell its television and media rights to the Belmont Stakes. A former Senior VP/Programming & Acquisitions, DeLuca left ESPN in September.
| BELMONT STAKES TV TREND OVER LAST 15 YEARS |
| YEAR | NET | RAT. | VIEWERS (000) | WINNER |
| '10 | ABC | 3.0 | 4,735 | Drosselmeyer |
| '09 | ABC | 4.4 | 6,640 | Summer Bird |
| '08* | ABC | 8.2 | 13,096 | Da'Tara |
| '07 | ABC | 3.2 | 4,861 | Rags to Riches |
| '06 | ABC | 3.5 | 5,044 | Jazil |
| '05 | NBC | 5.4 | 7,712 | Afleet Alex |
| '04* | NBC | 13.1 | 21,889 | Birdstone |
| '03* | NBC | 10.7 | 15,703 | Empire Maker |
| '02* | NBC | 8.4 | 12,410 | Sarava |
| '01 | NBC | 4.9 | 6,804 | Point Given |
| '00 | ABC | 2.8 | 3,822 | Commendale |
| '99* | ABC | 6.0 | 7,950 | Lemon Drop Kid |
| '98* | ABC | 5.9 | 8,016 | Victory Gallup |
| '97* | ABC | 5.3 | 7,148 | Touch Gold |
| '96 | ABC | 2.9 | 3,687 | Editor's Note |
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NOTE: * = potential Triple Crown win at stake.
