National turf writers and broadcasters

NTWAB Announces Three Recipients of Internship Funding Assistance, Including TDN

Three outlets will receive internship funding assistance for 2024, according to the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters. The organization will assist in funding internship expenses for positions with Thoroughbred Daily News, XBTV and the New York Racing Association.

The organization had planned to award $5,000 to two outlets, but was met with a number of quality applications and decided to commit a total of $6,000 to three.

“Last year we were happy to support two print media-based internship positions, and this year NTWAB is thrilled to assist media outlets in providing broadcast experience to interested students or industry newcomers,” said Natalie Voss, chair of NTWAB's internship committee. “NTWAB is committed to sustaining the future of our profession by encouraging the creation of learning opportunities in racing media.”

The Thoroughbred Daily News' internship position is already filled and underway, allowing a student from the University of Kentucky to gain experience in producing video and written content, as well as social media marketing.

XBTV is currently searching for an intern to work at Santa Anita Park, assisting with morning and afternoon broadcast production, copywriting, social media and scheduling. The internship will begin Feb. 22. To apply by Jan. 15, click here.

The NTWAB will also support a broadcast production internship with the New York Racing Association, which runs its summer broadcasts in partnership with FOX Sports. The internship would include assistance with scheduling guests, shooting video content, research for stories and some shooting and editing for the right candidate. The position will take place at Saratoga Race Course over the summer of 2024. For more info., click here.

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Eclipse Finalists Tallied For Awards Show Jan. 25

The finalists for the 2023 Eclipse Awards, recognizing excellence in Thoroughbred racing, were announced by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), The Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB) Saturday..

Winners in 17 horse and human categories will be handed out on FanDuel TV and other outlets, during the 53rd annual Eclipse Awards, presented by FanDuel Racing, John Deere, Keeneland, The Jockey Club and the NTRA, on Thursday, Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The evening will culminate with the announcement of the 2023 Horse of the Year.

Of the 250 eligible voters represented by the NTRA, consisting of member racetrack racing officials and Equibase field personnel, the NTWAB, and Daily Racing Form, 219 (88%) took part in the voting. Finalists were determined in each category by voters' top three selections, using a 10-5-1 point basis. Eclipse Award winners are determined solely by first-place votes.

The 2023 Eclipse Awards Finalists, with the exception of Horse of the Year, (in alphabetical order) are:

Two-Year-Old Male: Fierceness (City of Light), Locked (Gun Runner), Muth (Good Magic)

Two-Year-Old Filly: Candied (Candy Ride {Arg}), Hard to Justify (Justify), Just F Y I (Justify)

Three-Year-Old Male: Arcangelo (Arrogate), Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), Mage (Good Magic)

Three-Year-Old Filly: Mawj (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief), Randomized (Nyquist)

Older Dirt Male: Cody's Wish (Curlin), Elite Power (Curlin), White Abarrio (Race Day)

Older Dirt Female: Clairiere (Curlin), Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper), Idiomatic (Curlin)

Male Sprinter: Cody's Wish (Curlin), Elite Power (Curlin), Gunite (Gun Runner)

Female Sprinter: Echo Zulu (Gun Runner), Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper), Maple Leaf Mel (Cross Traffic)

Male Turf Horse: Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), Master of The Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Up to the Mark (Not This Time)

Female Turf Horse: In Italian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), Inspiral (Frankel {GB}), Mawj (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus})

Steeplechase Horse: Awakened (Curlin), Merry Maker (Ire) (Malinas {Ger}), Snap Decision (Hard Spun)

Owner: Godolphin LLC, Juddmonte, Klaravich Stables Inc.

Breeder: Calumet Farm, Godolphin LLC, Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC,

Trainer: Chad Brown, Brad Cox, William I. Mott

Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione, Irad Ortiz, Jr., Flavien Prat

Apprentice Jockey: Axel Concepcion, Jamie Torres, Sofia Vives

In addition to honoring the 17 winners in the horse and human categories, Paul Calia will receive the Eclipse Award as the 2023 Horseplayer of the Year. Members of the media will be honored for outstanding coverage in six categories.

Eclipse Awards voting is conducted by the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB), the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), and The Daily Racing Form. The Eclipse Awards ceremony is produced by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.

The Eclipse Awards are named after the great 18th-century racehorse and foundation sire, Eclipse, who began racing at age five and was undefeated in 18 starts, including eight walkovers. Eclipse sired the winners of 344 races, including three Epsom Derbies.

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2023 Media Eclipse Awards Winners Include TDN Writers’ Room Podcast

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters have announced the winners of the 2023 Media Eclipse Awards in six categories.

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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Cindy Hutter to be Honored by Turf Writers

Cindy Hutter, who continues her inspiring recovery from a severe brain injury sustained in a training accident in July 2022, has been named the 2023 winner of the Bill Mooney Award for displaying courage in the face of tremendous adversity by the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters.

Hutter started riding at a young age before going to work for trainer Bruce Miller after she turned 16. Hutter later worked for D. Wayne Lukas, galloping such stars as Winning Colors, Thunder

Gulch, Open Mind and Flanders, and later for Todd Pletcher, working with more greats such as More Than Ready, Jersey Girl and Graeme Hall.

Hutter and her husband, trainer George Weaver, launched their own stable in 2002. With Hutter serving as assistant and lead exercise rider, the couple campaigned Grade I winners Lighthouse Bay and Vekoma.

Hutter suffered injuries July 3, 2022, when a filly she was galloping on Saratoga's Oklahoma Training Track collapsed and died from an apparent heart attack. Unconscious for several weeks, Hutter continues to bounce back through rehabilitation and therapy all while making her presence felt at the barn even from a distance.

“We're very honored to win this award,” Weaver said. “Cindy was tough beforehand, and we ended up finding out how much tougher she was after everything happened. We're doing everything we can and she continues to improve. She's still got a strong work ethic. She might come out to the barn once a week, once every couple weeks. She came out the other day, spent the whole morning with us. And, of course, there was no shortage of comments to do this, and to do that.”

Hutter was on hand this summer when her husband saddled Crimson Advocate to victory in the G2 Queen Mary at Royal Ascot, one of 10 stakes wins for the stable so far this year.

Hutter joins five prior Mooney winners–the award's namesake who died after a long battle with cancer in 2017: horseman Kiaran McLaughlin, retired jockey Joy Scott, retired jockey and owner Rene Douglas and horsewoman Martine Bellocq.

She will be honored along with the NTWAB's other four award winners at the organization's 63rd annual Awards Dinner at The Woolf Den by The Derby in Arcadia near Santa Anita Park, Nov. 1.

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