I remember watching the Ben Jones trained Hill Gail win the 1952 Kentucky Derby with Eddie Acaro up on a console black and white TV. In the 1960’s ABC televised all the TC races on their weekend Wide World Of Sports. The late sportcaster and impetus behind the Maryland Million, Jim McKay anchored practically every sport televised on that series. There has always been argument that if horse racing had embraced TV more during its hay days that it would have reaped similar rewards like the NFL and major league baseball. This linked article does a respectable job of disputing that.
http://www.twinspires.com/blog/2016/11/15/thoroughbred-racing-more-many-think-during-tvs-golden-age
