Award winning journalist Caton Bredar grew up in the shadow of Arlington Park Racetrack in Illinois and held a variety of professional licenses including exercise rider, owner, trainer and official before turning to broadcasting. she graduated cum laude with a BA in English Writing in 1987 and a minor in Secondary English Education from Knox College in Galesburg, IL while working part-time and summers at the track.
Granddaughter of Hall of Fame jockey Ted Atkinson, Bredar began her broadcast career in Chicago before moving on to Florida, New Jersey, and California, ultimately settling in Louisville, Kentucky where she’s lived for the past 14 years. She initially worked full time as a news anchor and reporter for the NBC affiliate, WAVE-3 for whom she researched, wrote and co-produced the Eclipse, Emmy and SPJ (Society of Professional Journalists) Award-winning documentary “A Legend Re-Affirmed – the 30th Anniversary of the Last Triple Crown.” The program also earned runner-up honors from the Kentucky Associated Press Broadcasters for Best Special, Series or Documentary. Bredar continues to work for WAVE part-time as their horse racing expert and handicapper.
Prior to moving to Kentucky, Bredar lived in Los Angeles, where she was the first on-air talent hired for the fnew horse racing channel, Television Games Network (TVG). She served as their lead anchor for four years, working out of the LA-based studios as well as traveling nationally and abroad to cover major races. In 2015, with the merger of HRTV and TVG, she returned to TVG for whom she works currently at Keeneland, Saratoga, and the Gulfstream Park Championship meet as well as at special events.
From 2004 through 2014, Bredar worked for HRTV as a producer and talent, covering major racing events across the nation including the Gulfstream Park Championship meet. She was a key part of the HRTV team that produced the Emmy Award winning documentary “Big Cats of Carson Springs”.
Bredar has contributed to thoroughbred and harness events on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, CBS, and FOX as well as countless regional shows and was seen reporting horseback for ESPN/ABC’s coverage of numerous races including the Breeders’ Cup Classic, in which the previously unbeaten champion mare Zenyatta suffered her only defeat. She also worked as the horseback reporter from the United Arab Emirates, where she covered the richest race in the world, the $10 million Dubai World Cup for the international World Feed for five years.Additionally, she covered professional figure skating for ESPN and FOX.
A regular contributor to publications including “Horseplayer”, “Trainer Magazine”, “Florida Horse” and the Chicago Sun-Times, Bredar can be heard Saturdays on SIRIUS/XM Satellite Radio’s weekly “Down the Stretch”, and she is a frequent handicapper and contributor to industry blogs and websites including HorseplayerNow.com.
An active alumnae of Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women, Bredar is also active in CASA, who honored her as co-Kentucky CASA Volunteer of the Year. Bredar lives winters in Hallandale Beach and the rest of the year in Louisville with her husband of 27 years, Doug, a prominent jockey agent and their cat, Luna.
