ABC, ESPN see higher ad sales on Triple Crown race

By Gina Keating

LOS ANGELES, June 4 (Reuters) - The upcoming Triple Crown bid by Big Brown has turned into a payday for the Walt Disney Co's (DIS.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) ABC and ESPN networks, as advertisers line up to buy ads on programming leading up to the Belmont Stakes.

Both networks saw sales spike for the Belmont broadcast after Big Brown won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes last month and emerged as a contender to become the first Triple Crown winner in 30 years, Len DeLuca, ESPN senior vice president of programming and acquisitions, said this week.

"Solidly is the answer to what sales are doing," DeLuca said on a conference call with journalists on Tuesday.

ABC and ESPN plan seven hours in pre show coverage for the 140th running of the race in New York. The horses go to the post on Saturday at 6:25 p.m. EDT and the race will be carried on ABC.

The coverage starts at noon EDT and switches to ABC at 5 p.m. The networks will cover the Belmont Park races leading up to the big stakes race.

DeLuca said advertisers are paying "an absolute premium" on ads run in the last hour and a half of the broadcast, when the ABC hopes to triple their previous rating of a 3 share.

This is the first serious Triple Crown bid since ABC began carrying the Belmont race three years ago, ESPN spokeswoman Amy Phillips said.

"There has been increased interest and also from non- traditional sponsors," Phillips said. "We are expecting a solid rating."

ESPN officials would not comment on how much of a premium advertisers were paying for the Belmont time slots. (Editing by Andre Grenon)