When Britney Arton was given the chance to host the Eclipse Awards for the primary time, she did not settle for immediately.
She was effectively versed in horse racing as a former jockey and the daughter of the well-known West Coast coach Peter Urton. The chance to pay tribute to the best human and horse achievements of the earlier season was fascinating. However whereas the veteran broadcaster is snug in entrance of a digital camera and talking to an viewers of tens of millions, standing in entrance of a packed ballroom takes on a totally totally different vibe.
She shared her issues along with her good friend and confidant, veteran NBC producer Amy Zimmerman, who’s like household to her. Zimmerman responded with sage recommendation.
“A number of the scariest alternatives are those that develop you probably the most,” she stated.
Arton can be entrance and heart alongside Lindsey Czarniak and can function co-host for the seventh consecutive yr on the fifty fifth Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards, which can be held Thursday at Breakers Palm Seaside. Caton Breder will function the ceremony announcer.
Arton is now relishing the function he as soon as resisted.
“It’s an adrenaline-pumping problem and a enjoyable problem,” she stated. “It is a night time to have fun my love of horse racing and the folks concerned in horse racing.”
The Glendora, Calif., native was born into the game. Her earliest reminiscences are of spending time in her father’s barn, watching the morning whirlwind of exercise, and visiting along with her father’s horses. Win or lose, Del Mar summers had been all the time memorable.
Neither Peter nor her mom Lisa, who ran a jewellery retailer for greater than 30 years, steered her into racing. She threw herself into dancing and appearing, which was fantastic with them.
Arton, 38, stated, “There isn’t a doubt that I received concerned in horse racing as a solution to take part with my household, however I by no means thought I might have the ability to work in horse racing.I’ve all the time wished to be an actress since I used to be three years outdated.”
She continued to concentrate on that as an undergraduate on the College of Southern California. She stepped up her efforts by attending a theater conservatory for 2 years earlier than hiring an agent and beginning auditioning for varied roles.
Arton thought she was on her method. And she or he wasn’t.
“In the long run, I did not prefer it. It was actually troublesome,” she stated. “This isn’t simple, so I give quite a lot of props to anybody who sticks round this lengthy.”
Her profession took a serendipitous flip in 2014 when she was supplied a job at TVG (now FanDuel) and took the job. Three years later, she joined NBC Sports activities and commenced reporting on the Triple Crown race in 2018.
She joined NBCUniversal’s Olympic protection two years in the past and hosted the Paris Paralympics. She additionally branched out into Amazon Prime’s Nationwide Ladies’s Soccer League. It doesn’t matter what the game is, she is a fast learner.
“She’s like a sponge. When she places her thoughts to one thing, she goes all in,” her father stated. “She’s not a know-it-all, however she is aware of as a lot as she will.”
It took her some time to comprehend it, however Eulton is ideal for all issues racing.
“This sport provides you a bit little bit of every part, and I am actually concerned with what attracts different folks to this sport,” she stated. “I used to be born into the world of sports activities. However why do different folks discover this sport so fascinating? What attracts them to sports activities? Sharing these tales with the general public, however actually, I do not get sufficient of this sport.”
She fell in love with the story behind Scorching Rod Charlie, a number one 3-year-old in 2021 and a runner-up at subsequent season’s Dubai World Cup. He was owned partially by a gaggle of fun-loving Brown College alumni who known as themselves boat racers. Once I interviewed Patrick O’Neill, Managing Associate of Boat Racing, after Scorching Rod Charlie’s second place within the Belmont Stakes, she fell in love with him. They received married final June.
Her most memorable interview was along with her father after Storm the Courtroom’s upset victory at odds of 45.90 to 1 within the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. After the shocking outcomes, she struggled to comprise her feelings. Because the interview drew to a detailed, she heard producer Billy Matthews’ voice in her earphones.
“Britney, it is okay to be his daughter.”
She concluded by telling her father:
They hugged one another, creating an emotional second for audiences around the globe.
