Breaking From The Gates: Breeders' Cup To Partially Air On ABC

By Liz Mullen, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal

The Breeders’ Cup, which has been broadcast on ESPN for the last two years, announced today that horse racing’s championship event will return to network TV with 2.5 hours of live coverage of the '08 event scheduled to air on ABC. The net will air Breeders’ Cup coverage on Saturday, October 25, from 1:00-3:30pm ET, with the rest of the event, including the prestigious Breeders’ Cup Classic, airing on ESPN from 3:30-7:00pm. In total, ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC will devote nine hours of coverage to the 25th Breeders' Cup, which will be held over two days at Santa Anita Park. On Friday, October 24, five races restricted to female horses will air on ESPN2. Additionally, the net will air a preview of the event, the Breeders’ Cup Selection Show, on October 22. "In ESPN's third year with the Breeders' Cup, our relationship continues to grow across all our outlets. Now we're at two days, nine hours and 14 world championship races. We're happy to work with our partners to serve horse racing fans globally," said Len DeLuca, ESPN Senior VP/Programming & Acquisitions, in a statement. The Breeders’ Cup had been broadcast on NBC from '84-'05, but has seen ratings declines since moving to ESPN.