ESPN  has won the Media Eclipse Award for Television – Live Racing Programming from the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers And Broadcasters (NTWAB) for its coverage of the 2010 Breeders’ Cup, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., Nov. 5-6. The Breeders’ Cup which culminated with the dramatic battle between Blame and six-year-old mare Zenyatta racing for a perfect 20-20 career run in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, became not only a sporting phenomenon but a cultural one. This marks the second consecutive Media Eclipse Award in the Live Television category for ESPN, which won the award in 2009 for its telecast of the Belmont Stakes that was shown on ABC.

“We are extremely proud to win this award for the second consecutive year,” said Mike McQuade, vice president of Event Production for ESPN. “Our team does horse racing as well as anyone in the industry. We are blessed with a crew that is dedicated to putting together a terrific production of the races, but also bringing viewers closer to the action as never before.”