ESPN Opts Not to Renew Belmont Contract

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Photo: Coglianese Photos

Drosselmeyer won the 2010 Belmont Stakes.
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The Belmont Stakes (gr. I) will have a new television home this year.

ESPN, which has broadcast the third leg of the Triple Crown since 2006 under a five-year deal, will continue to cover the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

In a statement released to Sports Business Daily Feb. 15, ESPN said the contract expired and it elected not to renew because it “did not make good business sense.”

New York Racing Association director of communications Dan Silver told The Blood-Horse NYRA had no comment at this time.

The first two legs of the Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) and the Preakness Stakes (gr. I), are broadcast on NBC. Sports Business Daily speculated NBC “almost certainly” would pick up the Belmont, but NBC officials couldn’t be immediately reached for comment.

The last year all three Triple Crown races were on the same network was 2005.

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