Officials at the National Thoroughbred Racing Association announced Friday that NBC Sports' and Racing UK's Nick Luck will host the 47th annual Eclipse Awards presented by Daily Racing Form, Breeders' Cup and The Stronach Group. Luck replaces Jeannine Edwards, who recently announced her retirement from ESPN and will undergo surgery to repair a rotator cuff in January.
“It is really a huge honor to be asked to present an event as prestigious as the Eclipse Awards,” said Luck, who has been voted the Horserace Writers' and Photographers' Association's Broadcaster of the Year seven times in the last 10 years. “I have been lucky enough to be a part of NBC's horseracing coverage for several years–these experiences have been made all the more enjoyable by the generosity of my friends and colleagues in the U.S. racing media. Hopefully, I can do them justice next month. Having worked for several years with Jeannine, I know I have a very hard act to follow.”
Already a veteran of 16 years at the age of 39, Luck was the main host of the 'Morning, Live' weekly magazine program on Britain's Channel 4 from 2010 and was the lead presenter of Channel 4 Racing from 2013. In 2015, he fronted the network's coverage of the Grand National, watched over four hours by an estimated nine million viewers. He has also anchored broadcasts of the Derby, Royal Ascot, Glorious Goodwood and other major events until Channel 4 lost racing coverage in 2017. He currently hosts the program 'Luck on Sunday' for Racing UK.
Luck's exposure to U.S. racing began in 2006 when he was a reporter for ESPN's Breeders' Cup coverage and continued with that network through 2011. Since 2012, Luck has been a part of the NBC team for the Breeders' Cup and has also appeared on Breeders' Cup Challenge series programs. This past June, Luck hosted live coverage of Royal Ascot for NBCSN and will be part of NBC's programming for the Pegasus World Cup.
“We are so delighted to have Nick Luck–whose racing knowledge, sharp presentation, and quick wit have made him one of the most respected racing broadcasters in Great Britain and in North America–as our Eclipse Awards host this year,” said NTRA President and CEO Alex Waldrop. “On behalf of the presenting organizations, we also would like to thank Jeannine Edwards for her outstanding work as Eclipse Awards host the past six years, and congratulate her on a marvelous 22-year run with ESPN. We look forward to her being a part of the Eclipse Awards in the future.”
The Eclipse Awards, recognizing U.S. champions of 2017, will be held Thursday, Jan. 25, at Gulfstream Park.
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