NBC Sports wins Eclipse for Breeders' Cup coverage

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Daily Racing Form

and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB) on Monday announced that

NBC Sports has won the Media Eclipse Award for Television -- Live Racing

Programming for its broadcast of the 2014 Breeders' Cup Classic. The one-hour

live primetime program from Santa Anita aired on November 1 of last year.

This is the 11th Media Eclipse Award in the Live Television category for NBC.

NBC's Breeders' Cup broadcast of the Classic combined the aura of Hollywood

celebrities, a breathtaking setting and the backdrop for North America's richest

race, and one that could decide the Horse of the Year. The 2014 Breeders' Cup

Classic featured a star-studded field of horses including Kentucky Derby and

Preakness winner California Chrome, Belmont Stakes winner Tonalist, the

undefeated Shared Belief and the front-running Bayern, who won the race amid a

controversial start which resulted in a stewards' inquiry after the finish.

NBC utilized a full array of talent and production in pre and post- race

coverage of the Classic, including the live race call by Larry Collmus, multiple

replays of the gate break of the race and supporting analysis from Jerry Bailey

and Randy Moss. During the tense minutes of the stewards' inquiry, NBC talent

conducted interviews with Bayern's jockey Martin Garcia, and Mike Smith, who

rode Shared Belief, and winning trainer Bob Baffert, before the results became

official.

"Our production team did an excellent job telling the stories of this year's

Classic and documented the drama surrounding the controversial start of the race

by winning horse Bayern," said NBC Sports Group Coordinating Producer Rob

Hyland. "Nearly 40 cameras were deployed to showcase an incredible two days of

racing set against the beautiful backdrop of Santa Anita Park and the San

Gabriel Mountains. NBC Sports is fully committed to growing the sport of horse

racing and I am extremely proud of the high standards and passion our entire

production team has for this sport. On behalf of the dedicated men and women who

work on NBC's horse racing coverage, I am honored to accept this prestigious

award for the third consecutive year."

In addition to Hyland, as producer, the Breeders' Cup Classic broadcast was

directed by Pierre Moossa. Tom Hammond and Josh Elliott hosted the program. Moss

and Bailey were the analysts, and were joined by reporters Laffit Pincay III,

Kenny Rice, Donna Brothers, Nick Luck and Carolyn Manno. Eddie Olczyk was the

handicapper.

Judges for the National Television -- Live Racing category were: Jack Coffey

of Eclipse Productions; Chris Svendsen of CBS Sports, and Patti Wolfe, former

ABC Sports producer. Honorable mention in the National Television -- Live

Programming category also went to NBC Sports for its live broadcast of the

Belmont Stakes from Belmont Park in New York, which aired on June 7.

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