Racehorses benefited from their second-round debut, and FOX will look to improve similarly when it televises the Belmont Stakes (G1) live for the second year in a row from 4-7 p.m. ET today. June 8.
While viewers appreciated elements of last year’s coverage, including the 50th anniversary of Secetariat’s Triple Crown win at Belmont, the sound mixing was poor during the race at Belmont Park leads to an unsatisfactory conclusion.
Those who eagerly listened to legendary announcer Tom Durkin, who FOX brought out of retirement to call the Belmont and other support races, found it difficult to hear his calls. Arcangelo The song’s victory is due to the noise injected into the sound. Cheers from fans and vocal urging from jockeys, intended to heighten the excitement of the call, instead dampened the excitement of the call.
Videotapes
Asked to grade FOX’s coverage of last year’s Belmont, FOX Sports producer Pete Macheska said he felt they presented the storyline of the race well and that overall, they “did well.”
“We learned a lot,” he continued. “We also took a day because of the cancellation on Thursday due to (wildfire) smoke to test everything. So we had some technical problems.
“Yeah, there’s definitely a problem there. So how can you give yourself high marks when in the best of times, sometimes you can’t hear it, you know what I mean? We learned some things and we hope to get better.” on Saturday.”
Aside from some changes in talent, the team participating in this year’s program mirrors last year’s. Bill Richards once again produces the show, with Macheska serving as executive producer and returning host is Curt Menefee, a familiar face on FOX from his regular hosting role on “FOX NFL Sunday”.
Trainer Tom Amoss, retired jockey Richard Migliore and horsewoman Maggie Wolfendale are providing horse racing expertise. Hosting from the practice range, Charissa Thompson is joined by FOX Sports betting expert Chris “The Bear” Fallica and handicapper Jonathon Kinchen.
Emmy Award-winning reporter Tom Rinaldi returns to share race-related stories. Saratoga Race Course And Santa Anita Park Announcer Frank Mirahmadi will call Belmont for television..
Mirahmadi takes over for Durkin, who, according to Macheska, did not want to be called up to Belmont after recent eye surgery.
“Tom is also part of the program,” Macheska said. “He’s doing a voiceover for a piece about the history of Saratoga. So that’s something to look forward to.”
Watch: Inside the Saratoga broadcaster’s booth with Frank Mirahmadi
Mirahmadi said he will prepare differently for Belmont than the other races on Saturday’s program, but his style is different from that of Durkin, whose storytelling he considers unprecedented.
“I believe that in a big race you have to be completely aware of the storyline going on. … But in the end, it’s all about what’s happening,” he said. “It’s a quarter-mile race. Keep it simple, be precise, celebrate the winner; don’t try to overdo it and plan ahead for this and that because that could be a disaster.”
From 2011-22, Larry Collmus called the Belmont for television when NBC televised the race. NBC still televises the first two legs of the Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby (G1) and the Preakness Stakes (G1).
FOX will look to continue increasing television ratings on NBC in the first two Triple Crown races of 2024. Last year’s Belmont Stakes for FOX drew 3.82 million viewers across its primary and secondary networks, down compared to 4.8 million viewers on NBC last year. 2022.
Kentucky Derby (G1) Winner magician Not racing at Belmont last year and FOX not being a familiar location to Belmont viewers on their television remotes may have contributed to the decline in viewership. However, the race ended with an emotional moment as trainer Jena Antonucci became the first woman to train a Triple Crown race winner as Arcangelo triumphed.
This year’s race attracted a Preakness winner Embrace the gray and Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan .
“And the Derby winner even ran in all three races,” said Fallica, FOX sports betting expert. That’s also quite rare these days.”
(LR): Charissa Thompson and Chris Fallica speak during FOX’s coverage of the 2023 Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park
A longtime analyst on ESPN’s “College GameDay,” Fallica joined FOX last year and makes his network debut on the Belmont telecast in 2023.
“So it’s kind of ironic that this is a horse racing event at Belmont on Long Island, where I grew up and went to Belmont and went to that race so many times. It’s a fun event.” -deal-type circle,” he said.
As a participant in many qualifiers for the National Jockey Championships, Fallica said he is often reluctant to pick a favorite, but he finds Sierra Leone , a 9-5 morning line pick in the race, as the likely winner on Saturday after last losing when he finished second in the Kentucky Derby. He suggests using him in exact cases and trifectas with resilience Friday in the Kentucky Derby.
A FOX representative said another segment on Sierra Leona coach Chad Brown and another segment on Seize the Gray coach D. Wayne Lukas are planned, as well as a tribute to D. -Day.
In addition to coverage on its main network, FOX will televise the races throughout the afternoon on its secondary channels FS1 and FS2. Full schedule available online.
“We have a simulcast on FS1 where it (caters) more to racing fans and then a little broader look on FOX where it incorporates fans,” Macheska said. normal for racing fans.
He believes drawing comparisons will make the shows appealing to casual horseplayers and casual fans without much horse knowledge.
“So if you can relate something in horse racing to another sport that might make it easier for viewers to understand, then that’s what we try,” the coordinating producer said. do”. “We also try to do that on FS1 shows.”
