The 2009 Breeders’ Cup World Championships on Friday and Saturday from Santa
Anita Park in Arcadia, California, will receive nine hours of live coverage,
including 2.5 hours on ABC. The 26th running of the Breeders’ Cup will feature
14 races over two days on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2.
The action will start on ESPN2 with Championship Friday, from 3:30-7 p.m.
(all times EST) with six Breeders’ Cup Championship races. On Saturday, the
racing action will continue with ABC airing the Championships from 1:30-3:30
p.m. and ESPN from 3:30-7 p.m.
ESPN360.com and ESPN Mobile will simulcast live the ESPN and ESPN2
telecasts.
Joe Tessitore will host the telecasts with analysts Jerry Bailey and Randy
Moss. Kenny Mayne will work with handicapper Hank Goldberg. Jeannine Edwards,
Jay Privman, and Caton Bredar (on horseback) will serve as reporters. Nick Luck
is the European horse analyst and Tom Rinaldi will interview key personalities
in the sport. Bill Nack and Rick Reilly will contribute essays and features,
while Trevor Denman will call the races. Chris Connelly will provide celebrity
interviews.
ESPN’s coverage of the Breeders’ Cup will use the latest technology,
including 40 cameras:
*All in high definition
*Cameras on two cranes, a helicopter, a truck, inside the starting gate and in
the stewards’ room
*Rail camera running above all the horses in the saddling barn
*X-Mo camera at the finish line
*Touch screen technology for handicapping the races
Features on the Breeders’ Cup telecasts will include:
* Jockey Kent Desormeaux’s year: After Big Brown lost the 2008 Belmont S.
(G1) and the Triple Crown, Kent is back with SUMMER BIRD (Birdstone)
* Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert
* Rick Reilly learns to call a horse race
* The difference in how horses from the USA and Europe are trained
* Bill Nack’s vignettes on every horse in the Classic
TELEVISION SCHEDULE
| Championship Friday (November
6) — ESPN2, 3:30- 7 p.m. EST |
| $500,000 Breeders’ Cup
Marathon |
| $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile
Fillies Turf |
| $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile
Fillies (G1) |
| $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly &
Mare Turf (G1) |
| $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly &
Mare Sprint (G1) |
| $2 million Breeders’ Cup Ladies’
Classic (G1) |
| Championship Saturday (November
7) — ABC, 1:30-3:30 p.m. EST |
| $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile
Turf (G2) |
| $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint |
| $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) |
| Championship Saturday (November
7) — ESPN, 3:30-7 p.m. EST |
| $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile
(G1) |
| $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) |
| $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile
(G1) |
| $3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) |
| $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic
(G1) |
ESPN will also offer the following multimedia coverage:
*ESPN360.com: Simulcast of the ESPN and ESPN2 coverage on Friday and Saturday
*SportsCenter: News and information during Breeders’ Cup Week
*ESPN.com: Countdown Clock started on October 1 through Friday, November 6
*ESPN Radio: News and Information coverage
*First Take: News and Information coverage
*Rome is Burning: Both Jim Rome’s radio and Rome is Burning programs will be on
location at Santa Anita Friday
*ESPN Motion: Breeders’ Cup clips, including all Breeders’ Cup World
Championship races
*Mobile ESPN: Featured Breeders’ Cup section on ESPN’s Mobile Web
*ESPN International: coverage in Pacific Rim (including Australia and New
Zealand), Latin America, Caribbean, Atlantic (including Africa and the Middle
East) networks and on TSN in Canada
The Breeders’ Cup World Championships has announced that the 2ND race on
Friday, an allowance, will bear the name: Jimmy V “Don’t Give Up…Don’t Ever
Give Up!” in honor of The V Foundation for Cancer Research. CEO, Nick Valvano
will be there to present the trophy to the winner of this race.