The 27th running of the Breeders’ Cup will take place at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., this weekend.
This year’s event will be highlighted by undefeated mare Zenyatta, the first female horse to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic (2009) and winner of the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic. Known for her prerace dance routine and dramatic finishes, she will be seeking her 20th straight win. Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Classic begins at 6:15 p.m. on ESPN.
ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3 will air 10 hours of coverage, which will include the first use of a jockey camera. Coverage Friday and Saturday will end under the lights — another first for the Breeders’ Cup. Championship Friday will begin at 4 p.m. on ESPN2 with six Breeders’ Cup races, concluding with the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic at 7:30 p.m. Saturday’s races will begin on ABC at 1:30 p.m. and continue on ESPN from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
I spoke to horse racing analyst and former jockey Jerry Bailey about the Breeders’ Cup.
Bailey on the importance of the event » The Kentucky Derby is still the single most important horse racing day in this country. But for the real horse racing fan, the Breeders’ Cup is the Super Bowl and the World Series all rolled into one. You have all the best horses running the year’s best races on this, the most famous track in America. There is really something for each and every horse racing fan to enjoy. It is also a great day for a jockey because we can ride as many as three or four races in one day.
Bailey on Zenyatta » This is a great story that transcends America and sports, becoming an international story that has been told on “60 Minutes” as well as “Oprah.” She is a very special, once-in-a-lifetime star, and we will be there for the biggest race of her career. I know that for the race on Saturday we will have a great many women tuning to ESPN to watch Zenyatta, and you know what, if they only watch that one race of this entire wonderful weekend of outstanding racing, then that is fine. This is one of those great moments in sports history, and if you are with us all day or for around the two minutes it takes to run the race, then that is fine, but we simply don’t want sports fans to miss this event.
Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this!
