Branded merchandise will be available in exchange for a donation and there will be an opportunity to donate and enter for a chance to win various prizes. Winning prizes include a table for four at Maryland Million on Oct. 1, a private tour of Old Friends Equine Retirement with Michael Blowen, or exclusive TAA merchandise.

The TAA will also be on-site for NTRA's Last Chance First Chance NHC qualifier, which is held the Thursday of the event.

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Participants are encouraged to use the hashtags #LoveOfTheHorse and #EclipseAwards and tag NTRA on Facebook, X and Instagram. The NTRA will share many of the contributions and a few will be featured during the Eclipse Award ceremonies Thursday, Jan. 25 from The Breakers Palm Beach, hosted by Britney Eurton, Acacia Courtney Clement and Nick Luck.

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The 2023 Media Eclipse Award winners are as follows:

Multimedia – TDN Writers' Room Podcast – “Wade and Carson Yost,” Sept. 20, 2023; Thoroughbred Daily News

Gulf War veteran Wade Yost and his son, Carson, joined TDN Writers' Room podcast hosts Bill Finley, Randy Moss, and Zoe Cadman on Sept. 23 for an in-depth and emotional discussion of Carson, a 31-year-old stricken with Wolf-Hirschorn Syndrome and a Grade I-winning 2-year-old, Carson's Run, named in his honor.

“I was watching the NYRA show the day that Carson's Run made his first start at Saratoga, and Maggie Wolfendale interviewed Terry Finley in the winner's circle after he won, and they talked about the story behind the naming of the horse,” said Susan Finley, Thoroughbred Daily News Publisher. “Bill Finley contacted Terry and wrote a story for that day's TDN, and when Carson's Run won the GI Summer S., Bill decided to invite Wade Jost onto the Writers' Room. We were all very moved by his openness and honesty, and his willingness to discuss Carson's situation and struggles, and what Terry's friendship and the naming of the horse has meant to him.”

“All the credit to Wade Jost, and the incredible team that combines to produce the TDN Writers' Room every week; our hosts Bill Finley, Randy Moss, and Zoe Cadman, to our producers, the TDN's Katie Petrunyak and Anthony LaRocca, and our editors Alia LaRocca and Nathan Wilkinson from the PW Media Group.”

Wade Jost added, “It's phenomenal. Overwhelming is the only word I can use. It makes us feel good that people look at this and hear this type of story and say, 'you know what, we have a story we want to tell, too.' That's awesome. It's about Carson, but also the stories written about him and, of course, your podcast. You did a great job with that and I appreciate the opportunity to have had that conversation. We continue to grow with Carson's Run and the whole horse racing industry and can't wait to see where it takes us and where it takes Carson. All the stories that go along with him are pretty phenomenal.”

Writing – Feature/Commentary – Tim Layden, NBCSports.com – “Maple Leaf Mel and the long arc of a horse racing tragedy,” Nov. 1, 2023

Tim Layden, a writer-at-large for NBC Sports, won his fourth Media Eclipse Award for “Maple Leaf Mel and the Long Arc of a horse racing tragedy.” Layden related the story of Melanie Giddings, the trainer and cancer survivor of undefeated 3-year-old filly Maple Leaf Mel–named after Giddings–who suffered a fatal injury while leading the GI Test S. at Saratoga Aug. 5.

Writing- News/Enterprise – Sean Clancy, The Saratoga Special – “The Worst Test,” Aug. 6, 2023

Sean Clancy was not originally assigned to cover the Test S. at Saratoga on Aug. 5, but sprang into action and wrote a news account of the race of the tragic consequences of the fatal accident to Maple Leaf Mel and the reactions of individuals surrounding the event.

Clancy is the co-editor and publisher of The Saratoga Special along with his brother, Joe, which they co-founded in 2001. This is the second Eclipse Award for Clancy.

Live Television Programming – NBC Sports – “The Breeders' Cup World Championships,” Nov. 3-4, 2023; Lindsay Schanzer, Senior Producer

For the fourth consecutive year, NBC Sports has won the Eclipse Award for Live Television Programming for its broadcast on NBC, Peacock, and the USA Network, of the two-day coverage of the 40th Breeders' Cup World Championships from Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.

Feature Television Programming – Woodbine Entertainment: “SECRETARIAT The Last Race,” – Oct. 8, 2023. Airing on TSN (The Sports Network) in Canada. Tammy Gillanders, Producer

“In SECRETARIAT The Last Race,” the Woodbine Entertainment broadcast team produced a retrospective of the last race of the 1973 Triple Crown winner's career in the Canadian International on the turf at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto. The feature aired on Oct. 8, 2023, on TSN (The Sports Network) during the 2023 running of the Canadian International.

Photography – Carolyn Simancik – “Trading Horse Paint,” (Cody's Wish/National Treasure battle in Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile) The Press Box, Nov. 4, 2023

Carolyn Simancik, who has been photographing for Eclipse Sportswire since 2018, captured the most dramatic finish of the 2023 Breeders' Cup World Championships in “Trading Horse Paint,” which appeared on the Press Box website on Nov. 4, 2023.

Media Eclipse Award winners will be presented their trophies at the 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards Ceremony and Dinner at The Breakers Palm Beach in Florida on Thursday, Jan. 25.

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The campaign features a new comprehensive safety section on the NTRA website, which includes the latest news on safety and welfare programs, videos, and relevant links.

“Nothing comes in front of our sport's commitment to equine and human safety,” said Tom Rooney, NTRA president and CEO. “This campaign is designed to help make the public aware of the ecosystem of care around our athletes, the increased independent veterinary oversight, and the collective progress we've made over the last few years, as well as our unwavering commitment to do more and to keep investing in programs that will improve safety standards.”

Campaign materials promoting the new section of the website including video, digital, and print assets will be distributed to every NTRA member organization for use on its own media channels. In addition, television spots promoting the new site will air on both FanDuel TV and America's Day at the Races, the national television show produced by the New York Racing Association (NYRA) and broadcast nationally on the FOX Sports family of networks.

The first in a series of longer form videos focuses on the reforms implemented in California since 2019 and the resulting progress. Other videos in the series will highlight HISA's programs and their positive impact on the sport and the promise of new technologies, such as advanced diagnostic tools and wearable biometric devices that can enhance safety measures.

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USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service update, Veterinary Services Guidance 13407.3, introduces a new procedure effective Oct. 10 for glanders, which has been susceptible to produce false positives when horses were tested during their import quarantine.

“One of the number one issues I've heard in this job is how cumbersome USDA testing protocols slow down the import of horses and have in some instances left horses in quarantine unnecessarily for weeks,” said NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney. “This updated guidance will help prevent needless delays for our owners and farms. We appreciate USDA and look forward to continuing to work with them to modernize common sense reforms for our industry.”

Click here to learn more.

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All Thoroughbred farm owners are encouraged to complete this survey, which will allow comparison and sharing of state-specific results to those of the nationwide respondents. All information from specific respondents will remain completely anonymous.

The deadline to complete the survey is Thursday, Aug. 31.

Click here to complete the survey.

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The company, which operates Pimlico Race Course, has confirmed to the TDN that it is giving strong consideration to moving the date of the GI Preakness S. so that it is run four weeks after the GI Kentucky Derby.

“We have discussed it internally and believe it's in the best interests of horses and horse safety to move the race four weeks after the Kentucky Derby,” said Aidan Butler, Chief Executive Officer of 1/ST Racing & Gaming. “This would give horses more time to recover between races to be able to run in the Preakness. Horse safety is more important than tradition. NYRA is aware and considering how this would impact the Belmont. Stay tuned.”

Butler said there would be no further comment at this time.

Should the date of the Preakness get changed, the next move will be up to NYRA, which hosts the GI Belmont. If the Preakness is moved to four weeks after the Derby that would mean that, unless NYRA also shifts the date of the Belmont, the Belmont would be run just one week after the Preakness. That may be exactly what happens.

“NYRA has concerns about fundamental changes to the structure of the Triple Crown. We have no plans to move the date of the Belmont Stakes,” said NYRA spokesperson Pat McKenna.

The current structure of the Triple Crown works far better for the Belmont than it does for the Preakness. With five weeks between the Derby and Belmont, a number of trainers pass the Preakness and go next in the Belmont.

Traditionally, the Triple Crown is run over a five-week period, with two weeks between the Derby and the Preakness and three weeks between the Preakness and the Belmont. While that may be a long-standing tradition, it has clearly become an impediment to drawing horses to the Preakness because modern trainers are very reluctant to run their horses back within two weeks. In 2022, Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike (Keen Ice) skipped the Preakness and waited for the Belmont. This year, Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Good Magic) was the only horse from the Derby to run back in the Preakness.

These developments have led to added support for changing the spacing of the races. Just last month, Tom Rooney, the president and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, penned an editorial calling for the races be spread further apart. “The time has come in Thoroughbred racing for our own change, to modernize the timeline of the Triple Crown,” he wrote.

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“Protecting the integrity of the NTRA and the NHC tournament is among my highest priorities in this job,” said NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney. “By not initially releasing the names of the players involved, even though our rules give us broad discretion to do so for all prize winners, I believed I was doing what was best for the NHC. The demand from the public we have received far outweighs my personal beliefs. I highly value the opinion of the horseplayers' community, without whom our sport would not be what it is and whom we work with to protect all NHC sanctioned contests throughout the year.”

These three players controlled five entries in the 2023 NHC. The event paid out to the top 78 entries. The NTRA has officially disqualified the five entries controlled by these individuals and will proceed to move all other entries up in the prize structure. The entries that finished 79-83 who did not make the initial cut will be moved into the prize structure. Additionally, the NTRA will distribute the difference in prize money for all other entries that move up in the prize structure. The NTRA will mail checks to all individuals involved and the official leaderboard has been updated.

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Greg was a rare individual. He was not your typical silk-stocking lobbyist. He was different. Unabashedly blunt, with a southern drawl and downhome personality rooted in his small-town Arkansas upbringing, he was equally effective in the offices of some of the most powerful and influential lawmakers in the land or speaking before a small gathering of industry stakeholders worried about the future of Thoroughbred racing.

What distinguished Greg, and made for effective advocacy, was his own lifetime love of horseracing and betting, which began at his spiritual home, Oaklawn Park, long before he arrived in D.C. He was an informed, passionate and convincing advocate as a result of those early experiences. When he explained how the tax code worked against horseplayers, the Hill staff got it because he lived it and loved it. The Board of the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (THA), which I chair, loved his briefings. We learned as much about the current state of American politics as we did the intricacies of legislation or issues that he was promoting or deflecting.

Over the course of his career representing our industry, Greg kept a relatively low profile. Nonetheless, his impact on our business was enormous. Whether you are a breeder, owner, trainer, racetrack operator, bloodstock agent, jockey, sales company representative or horseplayer, Greg helped you by improving the business of racing and breeding Thoroughbreds.

Greg and the Alpine Group were first retained to help the NTRA establish relationships with key lawmakers and committees on Capitol Hill–those who could dramatically impact the entire industry with one vote or the stroke of a pen. Almost overnight, he helped form Horse PAC, which quickly became one of the racing and gaming industry's largest and most influential political action committees. By helping us handicap hundreds of Congressional races over 20 years, Greg's astute choices enabled the industry to build a core roster of Congressional allies, many of whom have supported our legislation over that entire time span.

In 2004, Greg helped us devise a strategy to secure passage of legislation to eliminate a 30% withholding tax on winnings by foreign nationals wagering into U.S. pools–something of vital importance to the Breeders' Cup and others pursuing an international wagering market.

In 2006, with internet wagering under assault by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and various lawmakers, Greg almost singlehandedly saved the industry ADW sites from being criminalized by the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) by negotiating a carveout for state regulated pari-mutuel wagering. The carveout preserved the status quo under which ADW sites were operating legally at the time.

In 2008, Greg led the charge to secure passage of the Equine Equity Act (EEA), part of the broader Farm Bill, that allowed for accelerated depreciation of racehorses from seven years (in most cases) to three years–an important change especially to many smaller owners and breeders. Greg and his partners at the Alpine Group helped us renew that three-year depreciation provision, which almost sunset in 2013, for many more years.

Over the years, Greg helped us pursue numerous industry objectives on Capitol Hill–sometimes on offense to pass legislation and often on defense to keep Congress from passing legislation that would hurt our industry. But nothing Greg helped us accomplish was more important than the win we achieved in 2017. After many years of unsuccessful attempts, Greg and his team devised a strategy to leverage the strength of thousands of horseplayers to convince the U.S. Treasury Department and the IRS to modernize antiquated withholding and reporting requirements relative to winning pari-mutuel proceeds, thus making our wagering product fairer and more attractive. The changes virtually eliminated what were referred to by horseplayers as “signers” and since 2017 have kept hundreds of millions of dollars in the pockets of horseplayers and within the pari-mutuel system.

Later in 2017, Greg and his team at Alpine made sure Thoroughbred racing and breeding where not left out of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act signed into law by President Trump. That Act contained a number of tax provisions favorable to the Thoroughbred industry, including 100% bonus depreciation.

As the pandemic raged in 2020 and several COVID-19 relief bills were hurriedly passed by Congress, Greg and his team helped make sure that members of the horse racing and breeding industry would benefit from those critical economic assistance packages.

As recently as this past December, Greg's work was on full display. Through contacts at the Alpine Group, the NTRA played a key role in identifying and resolving the “shared wallet” challenge, opening the door for sports betting and ADW companies to offer sports betting and horse race wagering on the same platform using a common platform and wallet. The launch of horse racing wagering on the FanDuel app was another quiet, yet important, victory for Greg and for the NTRA in Washington.

Seeing all the important successes achieved on Capitol Hill over the past two decades with Greg's leadership and strategic acumen, it is no wonder that the NTRA has doubled down on its presence in our nation's capital by opening a D.C. office and hiring former Congressman Tom Rooney as its President and CEO. A lengthy and proven track record in Washington–made possible with Greg's able assistance–made these decisions easy for the NTRA.

Year after year, the Thoroughbred industry benefited from Greg's unique relationship-building skills, his ability to open doors and the respect and high regard in which he was held by all on Capitol Hill. We always celebrate and honor the successes and achievements of our equine athletes, owners, trainers, jockeys and breeders. We tend to forget that there are less-celebrated unsung heroes who make our industry better and stronger. All of us in Thoroughbred racing owe a debt of gratitude and many thanks to Greg Means.

Personally, I will miss Greg's intellect and his dedication to our industry. He was a true friend and a trusted colleague. People like Greg are hard to forget and even harder to replace.

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“The work and mission of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is vital to the growth and success of our industry,” said NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney. “NTRA is grateful for the care and due diligence provided by the TAA each and every day to support our retired racehorses and we encourage everyone to join us in supporting their cause.”

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