Watchdog

NBC Sports broadcasts exclusive coverage of the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands this Saturday live in high definition. NBC's expanded coverage, two-and-a-half hours in total, will start at 4 p.m. ET with "Access at the Derby," which includes the "Kentucky Derby Red Carpet Show presented by Head and Shoulders." NBC's pre-race coverage begins at 5 p.m. ET.

NBC Sports conducted a conference call today to preview its Kentucky Derby coverage with NBC's Kentucky Derby co-host Tom Hammond, analyst Gary Stevens, contributing analyst and handicapper Mike Battaglia, analyst Bob Neumeier, producer Sam Flood and director David Michaels.

HAMMOND ON FAVORITE, BIG BROWN: "Most of the horses all seem to have significant things that you like about them and significant question marks associated with them with the exception of Big Brown, who is unbeaten in three starts, but only three starts. It's been since 1915 that a horse that lightly raced has won the Kentucky Derby. He has drawn – or chosen - post 20, the outside post, and no horse has ever won the Kentucky Derby from the 20-post. He did do something similar when he won the Florida Derby - he broke from the 12 outside post at Gulfstream Park."

STEVENS ON BIG BROWN: "They chose the 20-post position with Big Brown. A lot of people ask why. They asked that same question before the Florida Derby - could he win from the 12-post, that a horse had never won from the 12-post at Gulfstream Park before he accomplished that. I think they just want to take the factor of if he breaks a little bit slow than he won't be interfered with by any other horses. It's just a wide-open Derby this year."

STEVENS ON COLONEL JOHN: "It's by no means a one horse race. I love what I see in Colonel John. He's trained very, very good over dirt surface. He gets over the ground very well here. He had unbelievable work early this week - came back two days later which was yesterday and just had an outstanding gallop. A lot of people thought that his work was too fast and it may have taken the edge off of him but it didn't. He came back very, very strongly. It's just a wide-open race."

BATTAGLIA ON THE DERBY: "This is my 36th Kentucky Derby and every one of them is different, every one of them is tough to handicap but they're all special in their own way. I just look for another great race here on Saturday. There are a lot of questions about the favorite Big Brown, but there are questions about ever horse in the race. I just think it's going to be a heck of a race. Any time you put the 20 horses out there you just have no clue what is going to happen."

NEUMEIER ON BIG BROWN'S TRAINER RICK DUTROW: "One of the interesting aspects of this Derby is the brashness of Big Brown's trainer, Rick Dutrow from New York. It's unusual to have a trainer be so boastful about a horse leading up to a race. Most of them are very, very cautious, superstitious, and afraid to say too much. They don't want to antagonize the opposition. Dutrow has been anything but that - he's been loud, he's been opinionated and some would say a little cocky. It may be a little bit of the New York style."

MICHAELS ON USING LIVE BLIMP CAMERA: "Last year's crazy blimp shot live on the Kentucky Derby was the scariest thing I'd ever done on television."

FLOOD ON SATURDAYS SCHEDULE: "The 'Access at the Kentucky Derby' show is a great opportunity to take people to the event and take them places that they haven't been before. The added half hour increase from last year gives us even more room to show off why this is horse racing's greatest day and the celebration of the start of spring for everyone because the first Saturday in May, the place to be is right here at Churchill Downs".