The Nationwide Thoroughbred Racing Affiliation, Every day Racing Kind, and the Nationwide Turf Writers and Broadcasters introduced Jan. 18 that Tom Hammond, whose dynamic profession of greater than 50 years in broadcasting, tv manufacturing, and quite a few contributions to the Thoroughbred trade, will likely be honored with the Particular Eclipse Award for Profession Excellence on the 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards Dinner and Ceremony at The Breakers Palm Seaside in Florida Jan. 25.

A local of Lexington, Ky, Hammond has loved a a lot honored and memorable profession as one of many nation’s prime broadcasters, most prominently as host and anchor for NBC Sports activities’ broadcasts of the Triple Crown races and Breeders’ Cup World Championships, and his protection of 13 Olympic Video games, anchoring protection for determine skating, pace skating, observe and area, and gymnastics, amongst different sports activities on his resume. He additionally was a play-by-play announcer on NFL video games and the lead voice for Notre Dame Soccer on NBC.

“I’ve needed to be part of the Thoroughbred trade since I used to be 15 years outdated, although I may by no means have dreamed that involvement would come primarily as an announcer,” mentioned Hammond. “The inconceivable nature of the Award makes it even sweeter. As I look again on my over 50-year profession, I see the numerous alternatives that the Thoroughbred world has supplied to me. No query that I take into account the Profession Excellence Award to be some of the significant of my life.”

“We’re excited for Tom to obtain such well-deserved particular recognition,” mentioned Sam Flood, government producer for NBC Sports activities. “From the 1984 Breeders’ Cup World Championships and for the subsequent 30-plus years, Tom was a fixture on NBC Sports activities’ horse racing protection, documenting the thrilling competitors, and telling the memorable tales that make the game so compelling. However whether or not he was on the Flip 1 set at his beloved Churchill Downs, courtside, or within the broadcast sales space, what most distinguishes Tom is that he was a terrific teammate and made everybody round him higher.”

Hammond’s ardour for Thoroughbred racing advanced early when he earned an animal science diploma from the College of Kentucky, specializing in equine genetics, and developed a eager curiosity in Thoroughbred pedigrees. This curiosity adopted that of his grandfather, Thomas Poe Cooper, a former dean of the UK School of Agriculture and a former performing president of UK.

Hammond’s broadcasting profession started with WVLK Radio in Lexington, the place he was information and sports activities director. In 1970 and for the subsequent 10 years, he was sports activities director for WLEX-TV. It was at WLEX, and thru Hammond Productions, he based “The Winner’s Circle,” a half-hour weekly Thoroughbred program centered on the information and highlights of main races across the nation. Hammond Productions specialised in video productions aimed on the equine trade and pioneered using video within the advertising of horses on the gross sales.

Throughout this era, Hammond additionally started his affiliation with Keeneland as an announcer at its premier bloodstock auctions and at Thoroughbred gross sales in 16 different states.

Hammond’s 34-year relationship with NBC Sports activities dates again to the community’s regional faculty basketball broadcasts within the late Nineteen Seventies. However his massive break got here in 1984 when he was employed on what was meant to be a one-time-only foundation as a reporter for NBC’s telecast of the inaugural Breeders’ Cup at Hollywood Park. That program turned an annual task, blossoming right into a wide-ranging community profession. Over the subsequent three a long time, Hammond was an integral a part of NBC Sports activities, highlighted by horse racing — masking the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes 16 instances apiece, and 11 Belmont Stakes, together with American Pharoah’s historic Triple Crown victory in 2015.

Hammond was part of a number of Eclipse Award-winning packages for NBC, together with the 2022 feature-television Eclipse for his narration of the story of Cody Dorman and his bonding with eventual twin Breeders’ Cup Filth Mile winner Cody’s Want.

NBC Sports activities racing analyst Randy Moss mentioned: “When Tom would slide into the host chair a few hours earlier than the Kentucky Derby, and ‘That Voice’ would all of a sudden fill the airwaves, it was a jolt of adrenaline for everybody on the telecast. It was like, ‘Okay, right here we go!’ And never solely did he carry pure professionalism and expertise, from a racing perspective Tom was distinctive: he referred to as all these big-time sports activities, however as a local Kentuckian he knew essentially the most about Thoroughbred racing.”

Amongst his many honors and recognitions over time, Hammond is very pleased with receiving an Honorary Physician of Humane Letters from UK in 2018. In 2000, Hammond was honored as a distinguished alumnus of UK, and the next yr, he was inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Corridor of Fame.

Hammond was inducted into the Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor, Nationwide Museum of Racing Corridor of Fame; a recipient of the Nationwide Turf Writers and Broadcasters Jim McKay Award; and is a member of the Kentucky Journalism Corridor of Fame. He was additionally a Thoroughbred Membership of America Honor Visitor.

Hammond and his spouse, Sheilagh, have a daughter, Ashley, and two sons, David and Christopher, and 6 grandchildren.