NBC plans 16 hours of Belmont coverage

NBC Sports and its parent network will show 16 hours of Belmont Stakes-related coverage beginning June 4 and through the race June 7, double the amount it had originally been planning, the network said Wednesday.

NBC Sports had been planning just less than eight hours of Belmont-related programming prior to California Chrome winning the Preakness Stakes on May 17 and setting up a potential run at the Triple Crown. Most of the additional coverage will be comprised of repeat airings of a new documentary based on California Chrome and a series of “Belmont Classics” shows that will briefly recap some of the previous runnings of the race.

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The anchor of the Belmont Stakes coverage will be the live broadcast of the Belmont Stakes, starting at 4:30 p.m. Eastern and ending at 7 p.m. June 7 on NBC. That broadcast will be preceded by two hours of live coverage from Belmont on NBC Sports. The NBC broadcast of the race will also be followed by a half-hour Belmont recap show.

Live coverage from Belmont Park on Friday will begin at 5 p.m. on NBC Sports and include live coverage of the True North Handicap and the Belmont Gold Cup, along with interviews and analysis of the Belmont, the network said.