Bob Costas Offers Big-Picture Sports Perspective in Night School Tonight

Night School, the racing industry’s national online fan education and player development program since 2011, welcomes iconic sports broadcaster Bob Costas to class tonight for a discussion of the Triple Crown, the racing industry and a big-picture view of the sport in a special lesson entitled “Racing from the Outside.” The 90-minute weekly program gets underway at 8:30 p.m. ET and includes a phenomenal panel of national sports personalities as American Pharoah sits on the brink of a potential, history-making run at the Belmont Stakes.

Costas will be joined in Night School by fellow NBC Sports teammates Josh Elliott, Eddie Olcyzk and Kenny Rice, who will look at horse racing from the perspective of not only their Triple Crown coverage assignments, but also in comparison to the sports they’re closest-linked to, such as Olympic events like swimming/water polo, professional hockey and boxing. Fans listening to the Night School radio free audio stream also can take part in the session by posing their questions and reactions in the live chat that is a staple of the weekly fan education program. Tonight’s lessson “Racing from the Outside” once again will be co-hosted by Night School’s fan education troupe of Jeremy Plonk, Caton Bredar and Steve Byk.

The 90-minute, multi-media presentation of Night School ‘s live chat airs weekly from 8:30 until 10 p.m. ET at more than 40 websites throughout the racing industry, originating at Horseplayernow.com. The program is free to access live as well as throughout the week in archive format, and includes downloadable study materials and a chance to interact with the experts.

Night School title sponsors for the 2015 season include the American Quarter Horse Association, an original title sponsor in all five seasons; Keeneland Select, a second-year title sponsor and part of the Keeneland banner that has been with the program since its outset; Mountaineer Park, a four-year Night School sponsor; Woodbine Entertainment, a second-year title sponsor and lead sponsor of the Night School archives; as well as BRISNET and Twin Spires, each in their third season of Night School. Other supporters include the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, a Founding Sponsor of the program and communications partner.

Night School’s traditional 40-week season remains intact each Tuesday through Dec. 1 with a unique, 90-minute lesson offered at each gathering. Free archives of 2015 season lessons are available immediately after each lesson, as well as past archives of Seasons 1-4 that are catalogued easily at Horseplayernow.com’s Night School page. Archive viewers/listeners are treated to the same multi-media functionality as presented in each of those past weeks, including links to various learning materials. Students who voluntarily register information in any live or archive lesson are eligible for prizes and extras at the end of each semester and year-end if they register for at least half of the sessions presented.

In addition to the Tuesday weekly lessons, the Night School program offers Wednesday night live chats from Woodbine during the season. Fans can play along with the experts in real time, as well as during the Night School Friday Night Live chats for Remington Park both Friday and Saturday this week during the AQHA meet’s big Spring finale.

Links:

Horse Player NOW Night School Page: http://horseplayernow.com/night-school

Week 13 Study Materials: http://www.horseplayernow.com/images/STUDY052615.pdf

Night School Spring Semester 2015 Topics

(Summer, Fall Announced Later in Season)