Virat Kohli pliable to play at 3 or 4 to ‘give youngsters a chance’
Image Courtesy: PTI/BCCIAdvertisement 3pyw0qNBA Finals | Brooklyn Vs60v5hpWingsuit rodeo📽Sindre Ec56( IG: @_aubreyfisher @imraino ) vodWould you ever consider trying this?😱zj6lzkCan your students do this? 🌚euRoller skating! Powered by Firework While Team India always retained their prowess in batting, the bowling squad has significantly improved in the last decade. A stout reflection of that was clearly noticed in last night’s victory against Sri Lanka in the ongoing T20 series. While praising the young bowling squad, the team leader Virat Kohli opened up about giving the novice batsmen an entry into the batting order, even higher than himself.Advertisement Image Courtesy: PTI/BCCIWinning the toss and choosing to field first gave Sri Lanka the room to stack up an impressive score of 142. However, the Men in Blues squad had it easy, as brilliant spells from the opener KL Rahul and a finishing knock from the captain himself saw the hosts sealing the win by 7 wickets at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.Speaking after the match, Kohli praised Navdeep Saini as a dazzling young entry into the squad, and making his mark alongside the big names such as Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, although the third one was not in the squad yesterday.Advertisement “This was a clinical performance, and that’s how we want to build on each series. We have ticked a few more boxes this time. Brilliant from Navdeep. He has done well in ODI cricket, and he’s bowling well in T20s, with experienced guys like Jasprit, Bhuvi, and Shardul.” Kohli told reporters.Along with Navdeep, the fans saw the young Washington Sundar making a strong mark in the team. The 20 year old starlet from Chennai picked up the Lions opener Avishka Fernando’s wicket in the 5th over.Advertisement However, Kohli also added in about the prospect of letting the young batsmen into the team, and said that he is willing to move down from his usual 3rd or 4th position in the batting order.“I want to play at three and four to figure out both positions and at the same time give a chance for the youngsters as well.” he added.Last night’s game saw the young Shreyas Iyer coming in at 3 after Rahul’s fierce knock of 45, and scored an impressive 34 runs from 26 balls, with 3 fours and 1 six.India is facing Sri Lanka in the third and final match of the T20 series on this Friday at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.Also read-Sourav Ganguly: Rishabh Pant is a ‘special talent’ but selection depends on selectorsWatch: Virat Kohli goes full Bhajji, perfectly mimicks his bowling style Advertisement
There was heavy security presence inside and outside the courtroom, as visitors had to sign in and show identification to be admitted and pass through a metal detector stationed at the entrance. Six Monmouth County Sheriff’s Officers were stationed inside and a seventh was outside the entrance. Jean-Baptiste, 30, of Asbury Park, Byrd, 39, of Neptune City, and Spraulding, 41, of Keansburg, were indicted in 2016 on murder and related offenses in Jonelle’s death. All three have criminal records, according to court records. Ebenezer Byrd, Gregory A. Jean-Baptiste and Jerry J. Spraulding, facing up to life in prison if convicted, have been on trial for two months in a case the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office has said was about a “horrible mistake.” The 12-member jury was expected to begin deliberating March 7. But Bogner said Pinto isnot a drug addict. “This was not a random burglary,” Matthew Bogner, assistant Monmouth County prosecutor, told the jury in his closing argument. In recreating the last moments of Jonelle’s life, Bogner said she was ripped out of her bed and dragged to the floor. Michael, who was in court Wednesday, left the courtroom for a time when the images of his late wife were shown on a TV screen to the jury. Later, he accepted a package of tissues offered by someone in the courtroom. Zager said Pinto is not a citizen of the United States and could be deported. He told the jury it was not a “stretch” to think the Prosecutor’s Office would contact immigration authorities to help her out. FREEHOLD – Lawyers for three men on trial for allegedly killing Jonelle Melton, a Red Bank Middle School teacher, used their closing arguments March 5 to question the credibility of key witnesses and suggest others had a motive for the 2009 slaying. “She was defenseless,” Bogner told the jury. “They killed the only eyewitness to what happened in that apartment.” But Bogner said Michael Melton is “innocent,” was no “jealous husband” and was not after his wife’s life insurance money. He also said Davis “has absolutely nothing to do with this case.” He also raised suspicions about the jealous boyfriend of one of Jonelle Melton’s friends, Jason Davis. As it turned out, they went to the wrong apartment. Melton, 33, was asleep in her bedroom when the crime occurred, authorities have said. She was brutally assaulted; her jaw was broken in two places and she was stabbed and shot twice, including in the back of the head. Her body was found by her husband Michael Melton, a fellow teacher who came to perform a welfare check when Jonelle did not show up to work. He said the husband was “jealous” of his soon-to-be ex-wife’s lifestyle, and noted that he got the benefits of her life insurance policy. He also questioned why law enforcement did not search his apartment in Eatontown. Mark A. Bailey, the attorney for Jean-Baptiste, said she is an admitted drug user who used to drive drug dealers around for money. He said she had pending criminal charges. Court records show she was indicted Jan. 31 by a Middlesex County grand jury on drug and identify theft charges, with the indictment being handed up around the same time she was taking the witness stand in Freehold. In his remarks to the jury, Bogner pointed to a piece of evidence: A lighter found at the apartment had Jean-Baptiste’s DNA on it. He also rejected a defense argument that the crime scene had been staged and defended the work of the lead detective Scott Samis of the Prosecutor’s Office. He said Samis, who was in the courtroom this week and testified at trial, did not coach or feed information to Pinto, who finally came clean with everything she knew in December 2015. “This is the character of your witnesses,” Bailey told the jury of eight men and four women. On March 5, lawyers for all three defendants hammered away at Elizabeth Pinto, a key witness for the prosecution, who was Byrd’s girlfriend and drove the men that night. She accepted a plea deal calling for her to get probation and testified at the trial about driving the men, all dressed in black that night, to the apartment complex. Bogner told the jury that Jonelle Melton had “lived a simple, normal life.” On March 5, the courtroom of Superior Court Judge Joseph W. Oxley was packed with Jonelle’s family members, law enforcement and others. In the afternoon, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni sat on a front row bench to watch the proceeding and flashed a thumbs-up in a sign of encouragement to Bogner before court resumed after the lunch break. While law enforcement ruled the husband out as a suspect, Paul Zager, the attorney defending Byrd, told the jury that Michael had “plenty of motive.” By Philip Sean Curran On Sept. 14, 2009, the three men allegedly went to burglarize a Neptune City apartment, located in the Brighton Arms complex on West Sylvania Avenue. Their target, the state says, was a drug dealer known to keep $16,000 in his freezer. “She had no enemies at work,” he said. “She had no enemies in the neighborhood.”
By The Nelson Daily SportsThe Nelson Selects started slow, but finished with a bang in their Kootenay U17 Girl’s Playdown mini-series with Kootenay South during the weekend.The Selects won both games en route to earning the zone berth in the upcoming B.C. Soccer Provincial B Cup Tournament July 7-10 in Penticton.”The whole team stepped up with a short bench, most notable was the play of Andrea Stinson who scored four goals,” said co-coach Cam Paterson after watching the Selects post wins of 2-1 and 5-2.“A game official referred to Andrea’s play as ‘pure domination’,” Paterson added.The two-game, home-and-home series opened Saturday morning with Katarina Garbula stealing the show early before the Selects were able to finally solve the Kootenay South defence.The Nelson keeper was called upon to make a few early saves before the offence was able to step up.Paige Mansveld got the Selects going, stepping through the Kootenay South defence before burying the game’s first goal. Bekka Schrader, on a fine set up by Chloe Kuch, scored the winner to give Nelson narrow victory.Sunday, at Sunningdale in Trail, Nelson played most of the game with 10 players after a defender was sent off with a foul inside the penalty area.That didn’t seem to bother the Selects, which pumped in five goals, four from Stinson, to rout Kootenay South.“Losing a key fullback and playing with nine fielders three-quarters of the game would have been a huge setback for most teams but not this team,” Paterson explained. “They got stronger and took control of the play.”Schrader added her second of the weekend to conclude the scoring for Nelson.“It’s a pleasure to be part of this team,” said Paterson, also pleased with the play of defenders Brittany Wheeler and Samantha Einarson. “The girls are very committed and determined to achieve their goals. The team is like the Kootenay River . . . hard to stop.”Nelson travels to Cranbrook this weekend to compete in the annual Sam Steele Days Tournament.The event is a tune up for the Provincial B Cup in July.sports@thenelsondaily.com
Former Leafs Dane Rupert and Braeden Hikichi each has two points to spark the visiting Kelowna Chiefs to a 4-3 overtime victory over Nelson in Kootenay International Junior Hockey League action Friday night at the NDCC Arena.The loss was the second straight at home for the Green and White as Phil Bamber ruined the night for the home side scoring at 1:08 of the second overtime period.Nelson owned the Chiefs through the first 40 minutes — out shooting Kelowna 28-15 — as the Okanagan squad struggled to get rid of their bus legs. But thanks to the outstanding play of Kelowna goalie Tyler O’Donnell the visitors rallied from a 1-0 first period deficit to grab consecutive one-goal leads in the second and third periods — the latter a 3-2 margin on a shorthanded goal by Dane Rupert five minutes into the final period.However, Cameron Dobransky’s power play goal with 1:32 remaining in the third period pulled the Leafs even to force overtime and give the home side the chance at gaining a single point.Hikichi, traded earlier this week to Kelowna from Fernie, finished the game with two goals.Jmaeff, Nik Newman and Dobransky replied for the Leafs, falling to 1-1-0-1. Kelowna improves to 2-1 on the season.Jmaeff, Dobransky and Brent Norman each finished the game with two points for Nelson.Nelson out shot the Chiefs 43-37 in the game as Kelowna turned the tables in the third period with a 22-15 advantage, making a winner out of goalie O’Donnell.Andrew Walton lost for the first time in two outings this season for Nelson.BLUELINES: Special teams practice this week by Nelson paid off on the ice as the Leafs scored all three goals on the power play. Kelowna also experienced special teams success scoring two power play markers and one short handed. . . .Phil Bamber had three points for Kelowna. . . . The two-point nights by Matti Jmaeff and Cameron Dobransky pulled the two players into a four-way tie for top spot in Nelson scoring with Patrick Martens and Colton Schell. Each has three points. . . .The Leafs head south of the 49th parallel tonight to meet the Spokane Braves in Murdoch Division battle. The teams play a return game Sunday afternoon at the NDCC Arena. Note the new Sunday afternoon puck drop of 2 p.m. The games in past years started at 1 p.m.sports@thenelsondaily.com
Healthy defencemen on the Nelson Leafs are getting to be as extinct as honest politicians in Ottawa.The Leafs lost two more rearguards during the weekend, increasing the number of injured defencemen to four — and five if you include Walker Sidoni resting comfortably in sickbay earlier this season.Team captain Tyler Parfeniuk and rookie Julian Davis, who just decided to make Nelson his winter home, both were lost during Saturday’s 6-3 loss to the Kelowna Chiefs.Leaf head coach Frank Maida said both players are on the injury list with lower body injuries. Maida did not give an estimated time of arrival.Blake Arcuri and Riley Henderson are the other two defenceman out of the lineup.Leafs pull off second deal for Chiefs’ SpringThe sudden departure of healthy defenceman forced the Leaf coaching staff to pull off a cash deal for Eric Spring of the Kelowna Chiefs. This is the second time in five months the Chiefs have traded to the Nelson Leafs. During the summer, then coach and GM Chris Shaw traded Adam Wheeldon to the Chief for Branden Redschlag.In 13 games this season Spring scored three times while adding two assists.Dawson tallies for Junior markerMaida was pleased with the performance of Nelson/Kaslo Midget Rep winger Colton Dawson during the three-game road swing into the Okanagan Conference.Dawson scored his first ever Junior Hockey goal Friday against the Princeton Posse. He was also the game’s third star.Unlucky in hockeyIf the Leafs didn’t have back luck the team would have no luck at all.Friday, despite holding a wide margin in shots, Nelson ran into a hot goalie in the form of Phoenix Logan-Hill. Logan-Hill stopped 37 of 39 shots the Leafs fired.Saturday, a player who scored two times in five games lights the Leafs up for a four-spot in a 6-3 loss.Nelson snapped its five-game winless streak Sunday in Osoyoos with a 4-3 win over the Coyotes. Finally a home gameNelson concludes six-game road trip Thursday in FernieNelson travels to Fernie Thursday to meet the Ghostriders. Saturday, the Leafs play for the first time in weeks at home as winless Grand Forks Border Bruins come to town. Game time is 7 p.m. at the NDCC Arena.sports@thenelsondaily.com
St. Pierre, Cole Arcuri and Aaron Dunlap, on a nice goalmouth feed, completed the scoring for the Leafs.“There’s lots of opportunity for the guys to step up to fill the void now that there’s that much goal scoring gone, but I guys are starting to realize what they can do offensively and are starting to fill the role,” St. Pierre said when asked how the Leafs will deal with the recent loss of Nelson’s leading scorer Jamie Vlanich earlier in the week.Vlanich was signed by Langley Rivermen of the BC Hockey League after the Tier II Junior A team saw the Trail native fill the net on the Leafs Okanagan road trip.Rebagliati stopped all 30 shots to register his third win of the season — first on home ice — since coming to Nelson from the Alberni Valley Bulldogs of the BCHL.Friday, Nelson was pushed to overtime before Carsen Willans finished off a pretty passing play to sink the Braves in extra time.Tanner Stolz gave Spokane a 1-0 first-period lead before St. Pierre tied the game in the second.Nelson out shot the Braves 46-36 making a winner out of netminder Tyler Moffat.“(Spokane’s) goal played very well last night,” St. Pierre said of Spokane goalie Jon Manlow.“They were able to skate with us but we were able to find a way to win which is all that really matters,” St. Pierre added.Following a five-game road swing, Nelson remains at home this coming weekend with two homes games — Friday against Princeton Posse and Saturday Spokane.Both games have a 7 p.m. puck drop.Sunday Nelson concludes the weekend with a road trip to Creston to meet the Eddie Mountain leading Thunder Cats.ICE CHIPS: Travis Wellman scored twice Saturday to give the Calgary native a league-leading 25 goals. . . . Tyler Moffat won for the 10th time this season Friday in Spokane to push his save percentage to .921. Teammate Brad Rebagliati leads the KIJHL with a .940 save percentage in three games. . . .Former Leaf Jamie Vlanich was kept off the scoresheet in his second game with Langley. . . .Last-place Trail Smokies scored five unanswered goals — four in the second period — to shock Interior Division leading West Kelowna 5-1 in the Okanagan City. Castlegar’s Jesse Knowler scored twice to lead the Smokies. The win, combined with a 4-4 tie Friday, keeps the Smokies undefeated under the guidance of new coach Nick Deschenes. The Nelson Leafs started November just like the team concluded October — by winning.Travis Wellman scored twice to lead the Nelson Leafs to a convincing 7-0 victory over the Osoyoos Coyotes in Kootenay International Junior Hockey League action Saturday night at the NDCC Arena.The win, combined with a 2-1 overtime-triumph Friday in Spokane, ran Nelson’s win streak to eight games and improved the Murdoch Division leaders record to an astounding 15-0-1-1.“No, it wasn’t that easy,” said Leaf assistant captain Darnel St. Pierre following what turned out to be a convincing win against the Coyotes.“Osoyoos is a good team. They’re near the top of their division and I think the boys just worked hard for the full 60 (minutes).”The game was close through the first 30 minutes as Nelson rode the hot netminding of Brad Rebagliati.The Cranbrook native kept the Coyotes off the score sheet until the Green and White turned up the offence.Tyler Garcia gave Nelson a 1-0 lead after one period before Alex Wilkinson and Travis Wellman increased the lead to 3-0.In the third the Leafs exploded for four goals, with Wellman opening up the floodgates six seconds into the final frame with a power play marker.
“(BC Soccer) officials will talk about how they’ll proceed with concerns about the smoke and weather when they arrive,” Palfenier said.“It’s starting to cool down, but I’m pretty sure they’ll be water breaks during the games,”This is the third time in Nelson Youth Soccer history the association has hosted the Provincial B Cup.The inaugural event happened in the early 2000’s with the last time being in 2009.Palfenier, part of all three tournaments, said it’s a bit of a crapshoot to see if there’s any home field advantage for the Nelson teams.“I think there’s always the pressure being the host team but there’s also the relief of being able to sleep in your own bed that compensates,” Palfenier explained.Nelson U13 Selects are the first team to take to the pitch Thursday at 11 a.m. against Kelowna.At 1 p.m. the remaining two teams open play, the U15s up against North Shore while the U14s place Kelowna.The complete schedule can be seen on the BC Soccer website.The Opening Ceremonies go Thursday afternoon, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Lakeside Rotary Park.All action takes place at the Lakeside Soccer Fields.The finals are slated for Sunday.GOALKICK: Nelson Youth Soccer also has teams competing at the BC Soccer Provincial B Cup in 100 Mile House and Penticton. Organizers will be monitoring the heat, and smoke, from the local Sitkum Creek Wildfire when the BC Soccer Girl’s Provincial B Cup comes to Nelson beginning Thursday at the Lakeside Fields.Tournament Coordinator Kim Palfenier said officials are hopeful the city has seen the worst of the fire that began Saturday.“The air quality was our main concern because of the fire but the air quality alert is worse in Vancouver than it is here so we’re looking pretty good,” Palfenier said on the eve of the tournament.“(However) officials will be monitoring the smoke, warm temperatures and any thunderstorm warnings that may crop up during the tournament.”The four-day BC Soccer Tournament, hosted by Nelson Youth Soccer, features age categories U13, U14 and U15.The tournament begins Thursday through to Sunday with 24 teams competing in a full slate of games.Each age division features eight teams from the various zones around the province divided into two pools of four.The teams in the pools play a round robin with the winner advancing to the gold medal games Sunday against the winner of the opposite pool.The second-place teams meet for the bronze medal while the remaining teams play for consolation rankings.
JOCKEY QUOTES ALICE CLAPHAM, ASSISTANT TO GRAHAM MOTION, RING WEEKEND, WINNER: “He ran great. Drayden gave him a great ride and settled him nicely. It couldn’t have worked out better. He’s grown up from last year. I hadn’t seen him since then. He’s grown up a lot mentally and physically. Hopefully, we’ll have a good, fun year with him.” -30- VICTOR ESPINOZA, SUMMER FRONT, SECOND: “He’s a really cool horse. He’s very nice to ride. He gives you everything he has. He ran a good race. I thought we got this one by the way he ran, but I think the other horse outran me today. I was surprised by the way the other horse beat me. I wait, I wait, I wait and then I said ‘It’s time to go.’ And he goes. He’s quick out of there. The next time I looked back on the outside, the other horse (Ring Weekend) went by me like I was standing still.” TRAINER QUOTES
NOTES: This is Drayden Van Dyke’s first Grade I win. The winning owners are Vince and Theresa Viola of New York City (St. Elias Stable) or Terry Finley of Saratoga Springs, NY (West Point Thoroughbreds). DRAYDEN VAN DYKE, RING WEEKEND, WINNER: “It feels amazing to win my first Grade I for a trainer like Graham Motion. I’m very blessed.“I was following Mike Smith on Za Approval and I thought he would be a good guy to follow, I expected him to show more speed then he did today. I tried to be as patient as I could, I swung out and when I saw the eight horse, Summer Front I was far out so I tried to cut back in to let my horse see him and my horse just kicked on from there.“I got to breeze Ring Weekend on the turf last week and he worked amazing, I never moved on him. He came back well and really fresh.“It’s my first Grade I, it’s amazing. When I was galloping out I was smiling the biggest smile ever.” RAFAEL BEJARANO, WINNING PRIZE: “He broke really good. He went to the lead really easy, so I put him just behind to follow the speed, but I never had a chance to come out and get in the clear. This horse likes to run in the clear. I would have liked to have an outside position, but I tried to do my best. The horse hasn’t run in eight months, but he still ran good.”
Arcadia, CA – Bob and Jill Baffert announced major donations to four charities that care for racing’s retired athletes. Following American Pharoah’s historic victory in the Belmont Stakes and becoming the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years, the Bafferts said donations would be given to CARMA, Old Friends, TAA, and PDJF. “Jill and I are blessed and honored to be in a position to be able to donate a portion of my earnings to these four special charities whose work is vital to our industry,” said Bob Baffert. “We hope these contributions will go a long way toward supporting and bringing awareness to the very important work these non-profit organizations do in caring for our human and equine athletes.”“I spoke to both Bob and Jill before the race and they told me of their plans to shine a very bright spotlight on horse retirement,” said Madeline Auerbach, CARMA’s Founder and Past President.“We are very grateful to Bob and Jill for making such a substantial contribution to CARMA,” said Lucinda Mandella, Executive Director. “Their generosity and support means so much. They have demonstrated exceptional leadership for such an important cause in our industry.”CARMA, (California Retirement Management Account), was founded in 2007 and has granted over $2.5 million dollars to charities that retire, retrain and rehome off-track Thoroughbreds. It is a charitable 501 (c)(3) organization formed to assist Thoroughbred rehabilitation and retirement organizations that facilitate the care and retraining of horses who raced in California and whose racing careers have ended. CARMA ensures the racehorses have retirement options by managing and disbursing funds to qualified retirement facilities caring for such horses.CONTACT: Lucinda Mandella(626) 574-6622# # #
NBC Sports Group, the Home of Horse Racing, Adds another Premium Property to Portfolio Which Features Exclusive Triple Crown & Breeders’ Cup Rights and Newly-Added Royal AscotNBC Partners with The Stronach Group For The Pegasus World Cup InvitationalNBC’s Live Coverage of Pegasus World Cup Invitational Will Be Streamed on NBCSports.com & the NBC Sports appSTAMFORD, Conn. – SEPTEMBER 26, 2016 – NBC Sports Group has reached an agreement with The Stronach Group for exclusive United States media rights to the inaugural running of the $12 Million USD Pegasus World Cup Invitational. The world’s richest thoroughbred race will be contested on January 28, 2017 at The Stronach Group’s premier destination, Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida.The inaugural running of this industry leading thoroughbred invitational is the vision of The Stronach Group founder, Frank Stronach, and exemplifies The Stronach Group’s commitment to modernizing and elevating the sport of horse racing for the next generation of fans, while providing lucrative opportunities for thoroughbred owners.NBC will air a live 90-minute telecast from Gulfstream Park on Saturday, January 28, 2017. All coverage will be streamed live on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs. Powered by Playmaker Media, the NBC Sports app is available on Apple iOS, Android and select Samsung devices, as well as on Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Win10, and Xbox.As the home of horse racing, NBC Sports Group’s presentation of The Pegasus World Cup Invitational will complement its exclusive, long-term media agreements for all of the Triple Crown races – Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes – the Breeders’ Cup, and the newly-acquired Royal Ascot.“We are excited to work with The Stronach Group to present such a unique and lucrative race as we continue to present the best horse racing in the world,” said Jon Miller, President of Programming for NBC Sports and NBCSN.“We are thrilled to be partnering with NBC to bring the world’s richest thoroughbred horse race to audiences across The United States. The Stronach Group is committed to modernizing and elevating the sport of thoroughbred horse racing for the next generation of fans, while providing a deeper experience to our existing fans and racing enthusiasts with exciting new events like The Pegasus World Cup Invitational.” said Belinda Stronach, Chairman & President, The Stronach Group.The innovative Pegasus World Cup Invitational, to be contested at 1 1/8 miles on the dirt, is restricted to 12 horses and is the first event of its kind in horse racing. Twelve owners have reserved a spot in the starting gate for $1 million USD. They can race, lease, share a starter, or sell their place in the gate. The owners will share equally in the net income from betting, media rights and sponsorships. The winner of the race will earn a world-record $7 million USD.Wagering on The Pegasus World Cup Invitational can be done through Xpressbet.com.NBC SPORTS GROUP AND HORSE RACING: NBC Sports Group is the exclusive home to the most important and prestigious events in horse racing, including the Triple Crown, the Breeders’ Cup, and beginning in 2017 the Royal Ascot. NBC has been the exclusive home of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes since 2001, and the Belmont Stakes since 2011, when NBC Sports Group reassembled the Triple Crown. NBC Sports’ coverage of 2016 Kentucky Derby averaged 15.5 million viewers – marking the fourth consecutive year the “Run for the Roses” has topped 15 million viewers on NBC. NBC Sports’ coverage of the 2016 Preakness Stakes averaged 9.4 million viewers, up 6% from Triple Crown-winner American Pharoah’s first-place finish at Pimlico last year (8.9 million viewers), and the third time in four years that its Preakness Stakes audience topped 9 million viewers.AWARDS FOR NBC’S HORSE RACING COVERAGE: NBC Sports Group’s coverage of American Pharoah’s historic Triple Crown run in 2015 earned two Sports Emmys: Outstanding Camera Work for the entire Triple Crown series, and Outstanding Open/Tease for the 141st Kentucky Derby, narrated by Ashley Judd. Since its involvement in the Triple Crown, NBC Sports Group has been honored with 16 Eclipse Awards for its thoroughbred racing coverage including the award for Television – Live Program for the 2015 Belmont Stakes, 2014 Breeders’ Cup Classic and the 2013 Kentucky Derby. NBC Sports Group’s previous wins in that category include: Preakness (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008), Kentucky Derby (2007, 2012), Belmont (2004) and Breeder’s Cup (2001). Additionally, NBC Sports Group has won four Eclipse Awards in the features category: “California Chrome: The Unlikely Champion,” which was televised on NBCSN in June 2014, a 2002 feature on War Emblem (Preakness broadcast), a 2005 feature on Afleet Alex (Kentucky Derby broadcast) and a 2009 feature on Mine That Bird (Preakness broadcast).THE STRONACH GROUP: The Stronach Group (TSG) is an industry leader in world-class horse racing, entertainment and pari-mutuel wagering technology. Within its portfolio of racing and gaming businesses, TSG holds some of the greatest brands in the industry including; Santa Anita Park, “The Great Race Place”; Pimlico Race Course, home of the legendary Preakness Stakes®; Gulfstream Park, one of Florida’s newest entertainment destination centers featuring a casino and outdoor retail village; Laurel Park; Golden Gate Fields; and Portland Meadows; and also includes industry leading pari-mutuel technology subsidiaries AmTote and Xpressbet. For more on The Stronach Group, visit www.thestronachgroup.com.-NBC SPORTS GROUP-