Randy Moss: NYRA and Fox ‘incredibly petty’ for apparent attempt to shift blame of Triple Crown demise onto Preakness
Who knew there would be so much drama in horse racing months after this year’s Triple Crown was etched in the history books? But quite like how we’re all talking about Boston College men’s basketball in August for some reason, we’ve also spent much of this week following along to a series of major developments…
Horse racing drama continues to unfold months after the Triple Crown was secured, with the New York Racing Association (NYRA) and Churchill Downs Incorporated unveiling a six-race Championship series. However, the inclusion of the Preakness in the new circuit was notably absent. In response, Maryland Governor Wes Moore announced that the Preakness Stakes would now be held three weeks after the Kentucky Derby, aiming to encourage more Derby horses to participate.
Fox, which holds broadcasting rights for the Belmont and other major horse racing events, was reportedly interested in acquiring the Preakness rights. However, NBC Sports secured the contract instead. NBC analyst Randy Moss believes that NYRA and Fox deliberately announced the new Championship series days before the Preakness announcement to deflect criticism over the Triple Crown's devaluation.
Moss argues that NYRA, possibly in an attempt to protect its traditional scheduling of the Belmont Stakes, timed the new series announcement to overshadow the move of the Preakness. While Moss's claims cannot be verified, the timing of the Monday announcement does seem suspicious, and a clear explanation remains elusive.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
