Britney Eurton looks back on FanDuel TV … and forward, too
Britney Eurton left FanDuel TV after nine years with the racing channel. When she started, it was TVG, and she was trying to break into the business. Now 36, the daughter of trainer Peter Eurton is venturing into the vast unknown of the broadcast world, hoping to do new things and further her career.
“I thought a lot about the decision (to leave FanDuel),” Eurton said. “I felt it was the right time to take a leap of faith and explore other opportunities outside of the sport. I’m excited about the opportunity, but at the same time, I’m leaving the company that helped me get to where I am today.
“I am so grateful, and I owe FanDuel so much, but I also felt I owe it to myself to try to break into other sports, which is really what my dream was.”
Eurton still will have a hand in horse racing, both personally and professionally.
“I will continue doing my work with NBC doing horse racing,” Eurton said. “My father is still a trainer, and I’m so excited to go back to the races as a fan. It always will be a part of my DNA and my story.”
Don’t try to get Eurton to get particular about her job prospects. She is a bit superstitious when it comes to talking about something until it is set in stone.
“I’m definitely looking to grow my role within the NBC family but also pushing within other networks as well,” Eurton said. “I have an entertainment background. Acting was something I grew up with. It’s no longer a dream to become an actress, but I still have a passion for film and TV, so those are little areas I would love to put time and energy into.”
Having a horse trainer for a father created a direct path to a career in horse racing, but Eurton will tell you that is not how it worked. In fact it turns out as a kid she didn’t spend as much time at the track as one might think.
“My dad wanted me to explore all things and all different sports,” Eurton said. “Yes, I would go to the racetrack, and every summer I was down at Del Mar, my home away from home. But when I was in school I was also doing dance classes. I played soccer for a little bit. I was terrible. I played tennis. My parents wanted to expose me to other things.
“Anyone who knows me knows I don’t know how to ride a horse. It’s not something my parents pushed on me, and when I told them I was auditioning for TVG then went full time and now nine years later, my parents would probably say it’s a surprise. It was never my intent to work in horse racing. I’ve loved it my entire life, and when you feel that way about something, it doesn’t leave you.”
Eurton has many highlights from her time at TVG and FanDuel TV. Her first Kentucky Derby and the Cody’s Wish story come to mind. Her most cherished moment and the highlight of her career came at the 2019 Breeders’ Cup, where her father’s horse Storm the Court won the Juvenile at Santa Anita.
“The opportunity to interview my father in his biggest career moment,” Eurton said, getting a bit emotional just talking about it. “It was huge for me, because I’ve been his biggest fan. So to be able to see his career culminate in that moment and then be able to tell my producers, ‘I can get him, I can do the interview.’ And then to get through the interview and have my producer Billy Matthews tell me in my ear, ‘Britney, you can be his daughter’ and then share with him how proud I was.”
It made for great TV but it also showed the genuineness of Eurton and her ability to convey that through the camera. It is that quality that should pave the way to more success in her future ventures.
Eurton will be missed, not only by her colleagues at the network but also by her legion of fans, many of whom watched her start as a young, green reporter and develop into a major network star. It is a career worth following.