TVG TO BROADCAST EXCLUSIVE LIVE COVERAGE OF THE ECLIPSE AWARDS ON JANUARY 26 - Monday, January 12, 2009
TVG TO BROADCAST EXCLUSIVE LIVE COVERAGE OF THE ECLIPSE AWARDS ON JANUARY 26
TVG TO BROADCAST EXCLUSIVE LIVE COVERAGE OF THE ECLIPSE AWARDS ON JANUARY 26
Horse of the Year to be Announced at Thoroughbred Racing’s Premier Awards Event
LOS ANGELES (January 12, 2009) – TVG, America’s Horseracing Network, will exclusively broadcast the 38th Annual Eclipse Awards ceremony live on Monday, January 26 from The Fontainebleau in Miami Beach, Florida. Stars of the 2008 awards are expected to include reigning Horse of the Year Curlin, 2008 Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown and Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic winner Zenyatta.
TVG kicks off its live coverage of the Eclipse Awards at 7 p.m. EST. TVG’s Todd Schrupp, Simon Bray and Jill Byrne will host the network’s programming surrounding the event. The Eclipse Awards show will be produced by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) in association with TVG.
“We’re delighted that TVG will once again bring the excitement and prestige of the Eclipse Awards into homes across the country and around the world,” said NTRA President and CEO Alex Waldrop. “The telecast makes the evening far more special by allowing our fans to share in the celebration of the sport’s brightest stars.”
Finalists for Horse of the Year will be announced and honored during the course of the Eclipse Awards ceremony, culminating when the winning horse’s connections receive the trophy at the conclusion of the program. In addition, the “NTRA Moment of the Year”--Thoroughbred racing’s most memorable moment of 2008, as selected by fan voting at NTRA.com--will be announced during the ceremony.
Award-winning horseracing and sports announcer Kenny Rice will serve as master of ceremonies. Representatives from the NTRA, the National Turf Writers Association (NTWA) and Daily Racing Form vote on the Eclipse Awards.
“TVG has been trackside for an incredible year of horseracing and it will be exciting to see who will be honored among so many talented finalists,” said Tony Allevato, TVG senior vice president and executive producer. “More viewers are tuning in each year for the thrill and emotion of The Eclipse Awards.”
ABOUT THE 38th ANNUAL ECLIPSE AWARDS
The Eclipse Awards, which recognize excellence in Thoroughbred horse racing each year, are presented in 17 equine and human categories, including: Horse of the Year, two-year-old colt, two-year-old filly, three-year-old colt, three-year-old filly, older male horse, older female horse, male turf horse, female turf horse, male sprinter, female sprinter, steeplechase, owner, breeder, jockey, apprentice jockey and trainer.
The Eclipse Awards are named after the great 18th-century racehorse and foundation sire Eclipse, who began racing at age five and was undefeated in 18 starts, including eight walkovers. Eclipse sired the winners of 344 races, including three Epsom Derbies.
Individuals or companies wishing to attend the Eclipse Awards should contact for hotel accommodations and Eclipse Awards dinner reservations, contact Michele Ravencraft at the NTRA’s Lexington office, (800) 792-6872, or e-mail mravencraft@ntra.com.
ABOUT TVG
TVG, the official TV and Interactive Wagering partner of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) and a subsidiary of Macrovision Solutions Corporation (NASDAQ: MVSN), is among the most widely distributed horseracing networks in the world. TVG viewers in certain areas can wager interactively on races via telephone, the Internet, TVG Mobile or Interactive Television by establishing a wagering account online at www.tvg.com or by telephone at 1-888-PLAY-TVG. Macrovision is a registered trademark of Macrovision Corporation.
ABOUT THE NTRA
NTRA is a broad-based coalition of horse racing interests consisting of leading thoroughbred racetracks, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity of horse racing and improving economic conditions for industry participants. The NTRA has offices in Lexington, Ky., and New York.
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Media Contact:
Chelsea Cullen
Representing TVG
ccullen@fwv-us.com
919-277-1179(office)