ESPN, NBC, and WAVE 3 TV won Media Eclipse Awards for
productions involving this year’s Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Smarty Jones.
ESPN won the Eclipse Award for National Television –
Features for its documentary “Smarty Jones: America’s Horse,” which aired October
31, 2004. The half-hour program included interviews with trainer John Servis,
jockey Stewart Elliott and owner Roy Chapman.
Executive producers of “Smarty Jones: America’s Horse” were Mark Shapiro and
Michael Antinoro. The program was produced by Fredrick “Fritz” Mitchell and
photographed by Peter Franchella.
NBC won the Eclipse Award for National Television – Live Racing for its
production of the 2004 Belmont S. (G1), which featured the bid by Smarty Jones
to become the first Triple Crown winner since 1978. The program, which aired on
June 5 from Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, was produced by David Michaels.
To date, NBC has won seven Eclipse Awards, including four for its coverage of
the Triple Crown series.
WAVE 3 TV in Louisville won the Eclipse Award for Local Television for its
pre- and post-race coverage surrounding the 2004 Kentucky Derby from Churchill
Downs. The station devoted nine and one-half hours to Derby Day coverage,
weaving background news features and celebrity and racing personality interviews
with live race coverage prior to the Derby.
Among the members of the production team were producers Caroline Dickie, Amy
Foos, Michael Lattin, and director Tim Ingram.
This is the first Media Eclipse Award for WAVE 3 TV, the Louisville NBC
affiliate.