(Edited press release)Jill Byrne, who has previously worked in studio and as an analyst and reporter on such TVG programming as "The Works" and "Trackside Live," will join the network as a full-time analyst beginning with TVG coverage of the Keeneland spring meet on April 2. Byrne, who has been around race horses her entire life, is married to prominent Thoroughbred trainer Patrick Byrne. She assisted her husband in the development of Eclipse Award champions Favorite Trick and Countess Diana. Most recently Byrne served as an on-air handicapper for the Churchill Downs Simulcast Network. Byrne will be based in Los Angeles.
"I am thrilled to welcome Jill to the TVG family," said Tony Allevato, TVG vice president and executive producer. "She has been involved with horseracing in so many ways that her expertise can only enhance our programming. She has already proven to be an asset during her limited duties on TVG, and now our viewers will get to see her in much larger doses."
"I have been a fan of TVG for a while now," said Byrne. "I look forward to becoming an integral part of the network and look forward to working on a variety of programming."
Byrne, the daughter of noted show rider and Thoroughbred trainer Peter Howe, first started riding show horses in her native Virginia at age three. She rode and exercised Thoroughbreds when she was 11, and has worked with Dosage guru Steve Roman to help identify top quality horses through a race analysis system he developed.
