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Enberg recalls trailblazing TV debut of Breeders' Cup

In a cramped, makeshift television booth carved into the second deck of old Hollywood Park, unflappable Dick Enberg found himself, well, momentarily flapped.

There stood Elizabeth Taylor, holding him hostage with a set of eyes that caused a generation to swoon. This was the woman who gracefully glided across the biggest of screens with Rock Hudson, James Dean, Richard Burton and Paul Newman. Cleopatra herself.

In front of a national television audience on Nov. 10, 1984, the two were about to talk about … horse racing.

“Every guest who came in this tiny little booth, we were smelling each other’s cologne,” Enberg recalled. “We were literally nose to nose because it was so tight. Well, here comes Elizabeth Taylor. I looked into her eyes, ‘Wow, they are violet.’

“I was in total awe. Here’s this amazing, Academy Award-winning, beautiful movie star — one of the most famous of her generation.”

Superfecta, indeed.

The appearance of Taylor, Fred Astaire, John Forsythe, Tim Conway and others formed the backbone of a calculated plan to inject star power into coverage of a $10 million gamble known as the Breeders’ Cup.

NBC, with La Jolla resident Enberg as its race-day host, would tackle an unprecedented seven races in a four-hour, live telecast. Trailblazing television for the sport, ripe with questions and logistical knots.

More than three decades later, the Breeders’ Cup — which has grown to 13 races over two days — will visit Del Mar for the first time when the aging beauty that began with an ageless one roars to four-legged life Nov. 3-4. (The Breeders’ Cup and Del Mar are honoring Enberg with the Sports and Racing Excellence Award on Nov. 1.)

“My first thought was, ‘Oh my gawd, how are we going to fill four hours?’ ” said producer John Gonzalez, who now directs the A&E hit reality show “Live PD.” “Halfway through, it was, ‘Oh my gosh, how are we going to get all of this in?’ ”

Understanding the rhythm of the Breeders’ Cup meant living one. There was nothing remotely resembling a road map. The task seemed daunting because seven races of about 2 minutes each guaranteed just 14 minutes of action.

For a year and a half, Gonzalez and Enberg — fresh off the 1983 World Track & Field Championships in Helsinki — rushed themselves through a crash course on the sport while brainstorming feature stories that could fill the gaping coverage window. The NBC team loaded up on images of horses galloping at iconic Calumet Farm and stunning Lexington sunrises while building enough content to, ahem, choke a horse.

When the day arrived, a reality emerged as quickly as a frisky colt firing from the starting gate.

“We’ll do features on owners, features on jockeys, features on Hollywood Park, features on the history of racing,” Enberg said. “Well, we used about one-tenth of those. When a race ends, you summarize it, analyze it, go to commercial, come back and interview the jockey, give the tote board results, show them awarding the trophy, another commercial. By the time you come back, the horses are leaving the paddock for the next race.

“A lot of really terrific material was left in the can and never saw air. So that was one of the learning experiences. The races took care of themselves.”

The miscalculation created the opportunity of a lifetime for Tom Hammond, who leveraged that singularly special day to become one of sports televisions most versatile talents.

Hammond, who worked for local NBC affiliate WLEX in Lexington, Ky., had met Enberg through coverage of Kentucky basketball when Enberg worked the sideline with Billy Packer and Al McGuire.

One day, the trio had nearly six hours to kill as they waited for a flight to another game. Enberg asked Hammond for ideas about how to spend the time. The fellow broadcaster used his connections to set up a private visit with superhorse Secretariat at legendary Claiborne Farm.

Those interactions, and Hammond’s work as the voice of the famed Keeneland Sale, led Enberg to push for the man with roots in Thoroughbred country to be a part of the initial team.

Hammond suggested a feature on Wild Again, a 31-1 longshot in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. No one thought the horse, which finished third in a lead-up allowance race, had a prayer in a star-studded field that included Seattle Slew offspring Slew O’ Gold.

The enterprising Hammond saw the potential of a story about a group of gambling Texans who forked over a staggering $360,000 supplemental fee for one shot in one never-before race.

Wild Again stunned the field — surviving an unforgettable three-horse, see-saw stretch fight — in arguably the greatest Classic of all time.

“I was smiling to myself,” Hammond said. “Who was right about wanting to do the feature? I was told later that a bunch of NBC execs in a hospitality suite ran to the window and bet on Wild Again.

“I was gloating a bit, at least internally.”

That decision, along with a story he pitched on sidelined star John Henry, led to an offer of a full-time gig with NBC. The 73-year-old, preparing to cover speed skating at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, remains with the same network today.

“One of those stories,” he said, “that changes your whole life.”

NBC received some criticism, notably in a Sports Illustrated story, about focusing too much on Hollywood stars — rather than the everyday stars of Hollywood Park. In the end, though, it became known as a pioneering day that helped transform a sport.

“I just didn’t want this to be for the horse racing aficionado who was going to tune in anyway,” Gonzalez said. “This was for people who wanted to hear Dick Enberg spin a yarn or Tom Hammond tell a story about Wild Again. We wanted to keep a bigger audience glued.

“We got millions of viewers to tune in for something they weren’t super passionate fans about. We were all thrilled.”

It wasn’t just Elizabeth Taylor taking a bow.; Twitter: @Bryce_A_Miller

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