The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced today that sports broadcaster Jeannine Edwards of ESPN and ABC will host the 46th Annual Eclipse Awards presented by Daily Racing Form, Breeders’ Cup and The Stronach Group, on Saturday, January 21. It will be the sixth consecutive year Edwards has emceed the ceremony.
The Eclipse Awards, which honors the 2016 champions of Thoroughbred racing, will be held for the fifth year in a row at Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino in Hallandale Beach, Fla.
Edwards, who joined ESPN in 1995 as a Thoroughbred racing analyst, is now among the sports network’s most recognizable faces. She’s worked the sidelines for college football and college basketball, in addition to reporting on a variety of news for SportsCenter, including extensive coverage of American Pharoah’s 2015 Triple Crown run.
In 2009, Edwards was part of the broadcast team that won an Eclipse Award for the Belmont Stakes telecast on ABC, as well as an Emmy nomination for the Breeders’ Cup on ESPN. That same team won a second Eclipse Award and a second Emmy nomination for the 2010 Breeders’ Cup telecast.
Tickets to the Eclipse Awards are available for $425 each. Dinner tickets and reservations for the official event hotel – Turnberry Isle Miami– can be accessed by contacting Casey Hamilton of the NTRA at chamilton@ntra.com.
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. The Eclipse Awards are bestowed upon horses and individuals whose outstanding achievements in North America have earned them the title of Champion in their respective categories. Those awards are voted by NTRA, Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB). Eclipse Awards also are given to recognize members of the media for outstanding coverage of Thoroughbred racing.