Breeders Cup 2010 is Zenyatta's show case

The 27th running of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships will take place at Churchill Downs in Louisville on Friday and Saturday.


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 pre-race dance routine and dramatic finishes, she will be seeking her 20th straight win this week. She will be featured Saturday in The Breeders’ Cup Classic that will air beginning at 6:15 p.m. on ESPN.


ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 and ESPN International will air ten hours of coverage that will include the first ever jockey cam and both Friday and Saturday’s coverage will end under the lights another first for the Breeders Cup.


Championship Friday will begin at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN2 with six Breeders’ Cup Championship races, concluding with the $2 million Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic at 7:30 p.m. Saturday’s racing will begin on ABC at 1:30 p.m. and continue on ESPN from 3:30-7 p.m.


I spoke to Jerry Bailey about all aspects of the Breeders Cup.


Bailey on the importance of the Breeders Cup:”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 years best races on this the most 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 the perfection of Zenyatta: “That’s why this is such a great sport. These athletes don’t read the press clippings. She’s not asking for a raise. She’s not asking for an extended contract. She has no idea in terms of print media what she’s getting. She does understand the attention she gets from cameras around her and people around her…I think she’s one of the unique kinds of champion thoroughbreds that actually embraces it. She plays to the camera and I think she enjoys it…In terms of Mike Smith, he’s been to this dance before. I have to give him credit for extending himself in a lot of areas…he’s the kind of guy that knows when to lock in…he will do what it takes to be focused when the time comes.”

 


Bailey on Zenyatta as an international story:”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 moments in great moments in sports history and if you are with us all day or for around 2 minutes it takes to run the race then that is fine but we simply don’t want sports fans to miss this very event.”

 

Bailey on the small jockey cameras: “This is so small it’s scary…the shot that you got was awesome, it was almost like you were riding the horse…It will be great for audience to see and it really helps the viewer get a feel for what the jockey is doing. I was even impressed!...Kudos to the jocks doing this and trainers and owners that are allowing it. It’s not invasive, but it’s new and so a little bit scary in that sense.”

 


Joining Bailey on the telecasts will be Joe Tessitore and Randy Moss, while Kenny Mayne will work with handicapper Hank Goldberg. Steve Cyphers will interview key personalities in the sport and Jeremy Schaap will report from the winner’s circle. Trevor Denman will call the races and reporter Bill Nack will contribute essays for the ESPN telecast.

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1 Comments
It is huge victory for mare Zenyatta, the first female horse to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic (2009) and winner of the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic.I am happy that its anew journey for mare Zenyatta. I am completely agree with your all the points and we get a lot of information from this blog. thoroughbred horse racing results

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