Tirico to host Triple Crown shows for NBC

Mike Tirico, the NBC sportscaster who hosted his first racing broadcast last year, will take over hosting of NBC’s Triple Crown broadcasts this year from longtime host Tom Hammond, the network announced Tuesday.

This is the second move by NBC in less than a year to place Tirico in more high-profile roles. Earlier this year, the network announced that Tirico would replace longtime host Bob Costas for its primetime Olympics coverage. Tirico’s first racing broadcast was hosting the primetime coverage of last year’s Saturday Breeders’ Cup card.

The move also appears to be a semiretirement for Hammond, 72, the Lexington, Ky., native who has worked at the network for 30 years, anchoring all of the network’s Breeders’ Cup broadcasts since the event’s inception in 1984. A release from NBC said that Hammond will host a racing-history special, “My Kentucky Home,” next week on NBCSN, the network’s sports channel, and that he also will play a role in coverage of the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, next year.

“NBC Sports is the home to the world’s premier horse racing, due in no small part to Tom’s passion, knowledge, and relationships in the sport,” said Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBC Broadcasting and Sports. “We are pleased that Tom is going to remain part of the NBC family and that we have someone of Mike’s caliber to succeed him on horse racing.”

In addition to his horse racing duties, Hammond has been a play-byplay announcer for college basketball, college football, and NFL football. His Olympics specialties are track and field, figure skating, and gymnastics.

Tirico, who worked for ESPN until 2016, will host the Triple Crown races from a table that includes commentators Randy Moss and retired Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey.

“Tom’s professionalism, presence, and passion for the sport enhanced Triple Crown viewing for so many of us over the years,” Tirico said in the release. “He perfectly set the tone and in the process set the standard for this role.”