ESPN wins Media Eclipse Award for Breeders' Cup
 

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 2010 Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Mike McQuade was coordinating producer.

http://www.ntra.com/content/display/news/NDcxMTQ=

I thought Ken Rudolph/TVG should have won. The injustice of it all.

How shocking.

The 6-7 different camera angles that did nothing but obscure the actual races must have sealed it for them.................pathetic.

I agree, repeatedly comparing Zenyatta and Mike Smith to Beyonce and Jay Z should have sealed it.

I too feel like I'm missing half of the race from the blimp view.

Yep..from the article

"The main focus of the 2010 Breeders’ Cup program was the attempt by the 6-year-old mare Zenyatta to retire a perfect 20 for 20 with a repeat victory in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic against her strongest competition today date, coupled with the national attention she had garnered over the past three years. “She had turned the Breeders’ Cup into a cultural event, not just a sporting event,” said McQuade. “We tried to bring out the formidable task she faced that day by preparing the viewer with stories and information on all 11 horses in the Classic.”

It goes on from there but just like with the photo, the reason is clear.

It's not silly that ESPN wins an Eclipse for their coverage. It is the best racing coverage with the best people involved. However, don't you sort of get the feeling that if some had their way, Zenyatta would win EVERY Eclipse award, at least in some manner?

When she wins the 2YO Male Eclipse over Uncle Mo, you can just hear her internet supporters saying " while, technically, she's not a 2YO...or a male, you can't blame HER for that. And, she's better than Uncle Mo anyway....and she sure did a lot more for the game than he did! "

The fact that she has yet to win a Sovereign Award is just more evidence that Canada hates Zenyatta, and by implication, the United States.

I think failure to make use of the term "bootylicious" probably cost them.

lets see. racing gets on national tv about 4 times a year. that leaves alot of contenders...lol....i love the crying over awards....does it really matter and who really cares?:zz:

I don't know, but those MSG broadcasts were pretty good and their little balding guy is much better than ESPN's :)

I'll be surprised, at this point, if Zenyatta does not win Horse of the Year.

Those are not the only broadcasts that are eligible nor the only ones submitted.

Perhaps the voters will follow suit in other categories and give Boys at Toscanova 2YO champ.

lol
good point about the coverage being the best racing coverage with the best people involved. However I would give the award to HRTV. They are better than any other coverage out there.

The award is not for one network's coverage of racing. The Award is for a specific show. HRTV, justifiably, won an Eclipse for a segment of their terrific show Inside Information. But, and I could be wrong, they don't relly fit this Eclipse category and I am guessing they did not even submit.

:)
Thanks for the clarity. If the eclipse award is for a specific show than I would have to go with the ESPN coverage. I can't stand the Derby and preakness coverage.

i understand, but does anyone think the minor broadcasts get much of a shot? i kind of don't and i know you don't either by saying "how shocking". if they piss off the major networks they may get less or worse coverage....if thats possible.(some folks probably have "professional aspirations", how will they vote?). its a joke. but my comment covered all these ridiculous end of the year so called "awards"...people are on here arguing over "horse of the year" and all the categories. My question is do these awards really prove a thing? these bozos that vote mostly never raced a horse ,ridden a horse or bet on a horse(some do bet)....they are writers, they can write and vote for/about anything without guidlines...its ridiculous to worry about such things. i even heard one guy say he would "quit horse racing if such and such won"....are people horse racing fans or followers of awards????? its hilarious. you are right Inside Information is a great show.

My " shocked " comment was about how obvious all the awards are going to anything Zenyatta related. In this case, ESPN is a worthy winner, but the Eclipse awards and worthy are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

having jerry bailey and moss on the broadcast is not worthy of an award imo

The beat goes on.

WRIGHT THOMPSON OF ESPN.COM WINS MEDIA ECLIPSE AWARD FOR FEATURE/COMMENTARY WRITING

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers And Broadcasters (NTWAB) today announced that Wright Thompson has won the 2010 Media Eclipse Award for Writing in the Feature/Commentary category for “The Legend of Zenyatta” which appeared on espn.com on October 10.

This is the first Media Eclipse Award for Thompson, 34, of Oxford, Miss., who has been a senior writer for espn.com since 2006.

The voters were probably all at Churchill Downs so they didn't have to watch it on TV.

Wonder how close it was to being 4-4. HRTV won for a feature broadcast with their story about Swale but....

"Honorable mention in the television feature programming category went to CBS News’ “60 Minutes” for its feature “Zenyatta,” which aired Oct. 31, and to WIPB in Muncie Ind., for its documentary “Sculpting the Wind,” about the creation of the Barbaro statue at Churchill Downs, which aired July 10."