MIAMI, May 6 (UPI) — This weekend’s TV schedule will be filled with major events, including the NBA and NHL playoffs, Formula 1’s new Miami Grand Prix and the 2022 Kentucky Derby, the first leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown.
Dozens of regular-season MLB, NHL and domestic soccer league games will air alongside the major broadcasts from Friday through Sunday.
Two UFC title fights in Phoenix and a men’s light heavyweight belt boxing bout in Paradise, Nev., will air Saturday. The PGA Tour season also continues with the 2022 Wells Fargo Championship. That tournament teed off Thursday and runs through Sunday in Potomac, Md.
A trio of NASCAR races also take place each day this weekend in Darlington, S.C.
Kentucky Derby
Jockey Flavien Prat and colt Zandon are favored to win the 2022 Kentucky Derby. The 148th edition of the Triple Crown race is expected to start at 6:57 p.m. EDT Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.
Early coverage starts at noon Saturday on USA Network. Main event coverage will follow from 2:30 to 7:30 p.m. on NBC.
Epicenter, Messier, White Abarrio and Mo Donegal are among the other favorites to win on the 1 1/4-mile dirt track. Only 3-year-old thoroughbreds can qualify for the Derby’s 20-horse field.
Jockey John Velazquez and Medina Spirit crossed the finish line first at last year’s Derby, but the horse later tested positive for a banned substance and was disqualified. The 2021 title was given to second-place Mandaloun and jockey Florent Geroux.
Velazquez will be aboard Messier on Saturday at Churchill Downs. Geroux will hold the reins on Cyberknife, who is among the Top 10 favorites.
The winner of the Derby will receive $1.86 million of the $3 million prize purse for the Top 5 finishers. The winnings are given to horse owners and dispersed to jockeys and others on respective teams.
The Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown, will be May 21 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. The Belmont Stakes, the final leg, will be June 11 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.
NBA playoffs
The NBA’s 16-team playoff field is down to eight, who will compete for spots in the Western Conference and Eastern Conference finals through the weekend.
The Miami Heat, the top seed in the Eastern Conference, owns a 2-0 series lead on the No. 4 Philadelphia 76ers. Game 3 of that series tips off at 7 p.m. EDT Friday on ESPN.
The Phoenix Suns, the top seed in the Western Conference, also own a 2-0 series lead on the No. 4 Dallas Mavericks. Game 3 of that series tips off at 9:30 p.m. Friday on ESPN.
Two more conference semifinal matchups air Saturday on ABC. The No. 2 Boston Celtics face the No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks in another Game 3 at 3:30 p.m. in Milwaukee. That best-of-seven game Eastern Conference series is tied 1-1.
Star guard Ja Morant and the No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies battle sharpshooter Stephen Curry and the No. 3 Golden State Warriors at 8:30 p.m. in San Francisco. That Western Conference series is also tied at 1-1.
The weekend’s NBA playoff action ends Sunday, with two Game 4 matchups that could be series finales. The Mavericks host the Suns at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN. The 76ers then host the Heat at 8 p.m. on TNT.
F1 in Miami
The Formula 1 circuit comes to the United States for the first time this season Sunday with the Miami Grand Prix. The 191.5-mile, 57-lap event will take place on a recently constructed course around the Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
The Miami Grand Prix is expected to start at 3:25 p.m. and will air on ABC.
Defending F1 champion Max Verstappen is the favorite to win the event, which will see cars travel at speeds of more than 200 mph. Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez and Lando Norris are the other Top 5 favorites.
Seven-time F1 champion…
Read More: Kentucky Derby NBA, NHL playoffs Miami F1 race stack weekend sports schedule