AFL out? Horsies in.

Nine’s getting all excited over a deal that gives it horseracing on Saturday arvos. Great. But it’s not football.

And it’s not the Melbourne Cup.

Still, it’s a way for Nine to reassert its commitment to sport (like it was ever in doubt). Personally I’d rather see Nine assert it’s commitment to women. I guess The View will do that (and there are whispers of more formats coming).

Broadcasting the races will at least give Nine better ammunition next time the contracts are up. If they can show a year-long commitment to the sport of kings, maybe the VRC will consider a switch in the future?

Nine’s Press Release follows:

Horse racing is returning to the Nine Network, which will cover a winning selection of Group One races at the Autumn and Spring Carnivals in Sydney and Melbourne this year, with 13 race meetings and more than 70 premier races, in conjunction with TVN.

Nine Network Chief Executive, Mr Eddie McGuire, said today: “Horse racing is a sport of many champions and it’s great to have it back on Nine. This is a most significant agreement – never before has there been this level of coverage on free-to-air television.

“As Australia’s leading sports broadcaster, the Nine Network is delighted to bring viewers live coverage of big races like the Blue Diamond and Golden Slipper for two year-olds. And in April we will bring Australia’s free-to-air audience the AJC Easter Carnival, headlined by the Australian Derby at Randwick.

“In Spring, we will have the Caulfield Guineas, a magnificent race, and the time-honoured Caulfield Cup, as well as the weight-for-age championship of Australasia, the WS Cox Plate, the race of legends.”

Mr Harold Mitchell, Chairman of ThoroughVision Pty Ltd (TVN), said the programming arrangement marks a new level of exposure for Australian racing at a time when it is attracting unprecedented global interest.

“This commitment by the Nine Network recognises the unique cultural relevance of thoroughbred racing to Australians. In Australia, horses can be heroes,” Mr Mitchell said. Nine’s racing coverage begins on Saturday, February 24 with Melbourne’s top two-year-old event, the Blue Diamond Stakes, with Simon O’Donnell and Nicole Livingstone co-hosting the broadcast.

The Nine Network will televise Group One events on the following race days in 2007:

Blue Diamond Caulfield 24 February
Futurity Stakes Caulfield 3 March
Coolmore Classic Rosehill 17 March
Darley Guineas Rosehill 24 March
Golden Slipper Rosehill 31 March
Australian Derby Randwick 7 April
Doncaster Handicap Randwick 9 April
Australian Oaks Randwick 11 April
Sydney Cup Randwick 14 April
Epsom Handicap Randwick 6 October
Caulfield Guineas Caulfield 13 October
Caulfield Cup Caulfield 20 October
Cox Plate Moonee Valley 27 October