ESPN wins Eclipse Award for Breeders' Cup Classic coverage
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers And Broadcasters (NTWAB) today announced that ESPN has won the Media Eclipse Award for Television – Live Racing Programming for its telecast of “The Breeders’ Cup Classic” at the 2011 Breeders’ Cup World Championships. The one-hour program at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., on November 5 culminated with the upset victory of Drosselmeyer over Game on Dude in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.
This is the third consecutive Media Eclipse Award in the Live Television category for ESPN, which won the award last year for its Breeders’ Cup Classic telecast on ESPN and for its 2009 telecast of the Belmont Stakes, shown on ABC.
“To win this award three years in a row is a great testament to our overall production,” said Mike McQuade, who is Vice President of Event Production for ESPN and coordinating producer for the Breeders’ Cup Classic telecast. “We treat the Breeders’ Cup as a big event and we produce it as a big event. This year’s Classic had a number of captivating storylines and our group did an excellent job telling these stories and bringing the audience right to the action.”
Among those themes in the Classic was the battle for Horse of the Year which featured the 4-year-old filly Havre de Grace, two Michael Repole-owned horses in Uncle Mo and Stay Thirsty, and Game on Dude, who was ridden by Chantal Sutherland, trying to become the first female jockey to win the Classic. However, 14-1 shot Drosselmeyer, ridden by Mike Smith, who finished second on the previously unbeaten Zenyatta in the 2010 Classic, came flying down the stretch, passing runner-up Game on Dude to score an upset victory. While the victory was obviously redemption for Smith, ESPN quickly focused its post-race coverage to the “Battle of the Exes” as Sutherland and Smith had broken off a relationship last year. Smith rode Drosselmeyer over to the ESPN main announcer set on the clubhouse turn and was interviewed by Joe Tessitore, Jerry Bailey and Randy Moss for his reaction, while Sutherland revealed that she congratulated Smith to ESPN reporters in the winner’s circle.
The Breeders’ Cup Classic telecast was produced by Mike McQuade and David Ceisler and directed by Doug Holmes. Joe Tessitore hosted the program. He was joined by analysts Randy Moss and Jerry Bailey. Jeannine Edwards, Jay Privman, and Caton Bredar were the reporters. Hank Goldberg and Kenny Mayne were the handicappers. Bill Nack provided narrated pieces. Trevor Denman was the racecaller. Nick Luck was the international expert/European horse analyst.
Judges for the National Television – Live Racing category were: Pete Macheska of Fox Sports; former NESN producer Joel Feld and award winning television producer Toni Slotkin. Honorable mention in the National Television Live Programming category went to NBC Sports for its live telecast of the Preakness Stakes from Baltimore, Md., which aired on May 21. Fred Gaudelli was the producer.
