NBC Sports Wins 12th Television Eclipse Award

NBC Sports has won the Media Eclipse Award for Television/Live Racing Programming for its broadcast of the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) when American Pharoah   became the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years. The two-hour live telecast from Belmont Park in New York aired June 6 of last year.

The trophy will be presented at the 45th Eclipse Awards dinner and ceremony Jan. 16 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

It's the 12th Media Eclipse Award in the Live Television category for NBC. The Belmont was one of the most highly anticipated sporting events of 2015 as millions tuned in to see if American Pharoah, owned by Zayat Stables, trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Victor Espinoza, could break the 37-year drought of failed Triple Crown attempts.

Through profiles of the leading contenders and pictures and descriptions of American Pharoah's journey from the barn to the saddling area and out of the paddock to the racetrack, NBC built drama and pace into the show, climaxed by American Pharoah's resounding victory and punctuated by the race call from Larry Collmus.

NBC's pre- and post-race coverage of the Belmont Stakes included historical analysis and interviews about the difficulty of winning the Triple Crown, and the potential "spoilers" in the field who could have denied American Pharoah his date with destiny. Positioning 42 cameras, NBC captured the 1 1/2-mile Belmont, the response from fans at Belmont Park, and the winning connections following the race from a wide variety of angles and presentations.

"On behalf of the dedicated men and women who work on NBC's horse racing coverage, I am honored to accept this prestigious award," said Rob Hyland, coordinating producer of NBC Sports Group's horse racing coverage. "When American Pharoah crossed the finish line at Belmont Park, our production philosophy was very simple—document the moment and let the moment speak for itself.

"As Bob Costas so eloquently said that afternoon, the Triple Crown is 'just so difficult, so unlikely, so rare, so stupendous an achievement that we won't soon forget what we witnessed today at Belmont Park.' June 6, 2015, is a day that all of us at NBC Sports will remember for the rest of our lives. It was a privilege and an honor to be a part of such a defining moment in sports history."

In addition to Hyland, as producer, the Belmont Stakes broadcast was directed by Drew Esocoff. NBC Sports Group's coverage of the Belmont Stakes featured hosts Costas, a 26-time Emmy Award-winner, and Tom Hammond, a veteran NBC Sports commentator; analysts Randy Moss and Jerry Bailey, the Hall of Fame jockey and two-time Belmont winner; analysts/handicappers Bob Neumeier and Eddie Olczyk; NBCSN host/NBC reporter Laffit Pincay III; reporters Kenny Rice, Donna Brothers, and Jay Privman; and race caller Collmus. Carolyn Manno and Josh Elliott provided a mix of features and interviews at Belmont Park.

Judges for the National Television/Live Racing category were Jay Posner, arts and entertainment editor at the San Diego Union-Tribune; Patti Wolfe, former ABC Sports producer; and director/producer Doug Wren of Wren Productions. The decision of the judges was unanimous.