Woodbine Entertainment went on to win an Eclipse Award in the category of Feature Television programming for their production of “Secretariat: the Last Race,” and America's Best Racing, a multimedia marketing program run by The Jockey Club, received an Honorable Mention in the multimedia category for their video with Mage's owner, Ramiro Restrepo, at this year's Kentucky Derby.

Law, who represents the Turf Writers on the six-person Eclipse Award steering committee, said that in the past, the lack of unanimous approval had been enough to negate a rules change like the one to the media Eclipse Awards this year, or the awarding of a Special Eclipse Award or Eclipse Award of Merit.

“Obviously, as we all know, everything went through,” said Law of the rules change and the awarding of the Eclipse Award of Merit. “They presented the award and I asked them if we could not be included in the press release because we didn't really feel like our organization was behind it. We had basically full agreement by our board about this and about how it was handled, about how we were either ignored, or our concerns were ignored.”

The NTRA disputed Law's claims. In a statement emailed to the TDN on Thursday, NTRA President and Tom Rooney said, “With regards to the rules change, the Steering Committee continually converses to keep the rules reflective of the ever dynamic and changing landscape. Allowing industry outlets to submit media nominations, with the approval of the Steering Committee, is reflective of the changing media landscape and was agreed to by the committee. Additionally, the process for selecting any Eclipse Award of Merit and Special Award is decided on in coordination with the Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters in the same way that it has been for the past 25 years. This year was no different.”

Byk, also an NTWAB board member, agreed with Law.

“Both of these topics essentially dictated the spirit of cooperation and collective approach that has essentially ruled this system over the last 50 years,” he said. “It was clearly abandoned here. And the Eclipse Award of Merit, in fact, three of the last four years, or three out of the last five years, I think, wasn't awarded. It's something that you mentioned at Steering Committee, it gets floated and everybody has to agree. Everybody did not agree, and I was very proud of the collective, frankly, of the Turf Writers and Broadcasters when we had these discussions that we forcefully said, `This is a divisive decision and inappropriate at this juncture, but it was basically forced upon us and the forum.'”

Law, who won an Eclipse Award in 2022 for his story “Big Tally” in the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred, told Byk, also an NTWAB board member, “I'm not even a year removed from winning one myself, so I understand what it means to win one. I don't take any of this lightly, and it was a serious business to me, and it still is. And after 12 years as President of the Turf Writers, I take it seriously and it means a lot, and I feel like I'm representing a large majority of our members with these statements that I'm making to you now. And, certainly, with the support of my board, which is very diverse and has a great representation of all the trade publications and geographic locations, as well, in print and broadcasting.”

The Turf Writers hadn't gone public with their disagreement until they had had the opportunity to discuss the issue with their members, which happened in a Zoom call Wednesday.
Law said that the Turf Writers had put an individual forward several years ago, and despite a 5-1 vote to award the Eclipse of Merit to that person, the one `nay' vote overruled that. “I didn't agree, but I played the game,” said Law. “Didn't complain about it. Didn't cry about it. But as I mentioned to our members yesterday, someone asked `what do they think will happen going forward?' I said, `Well, I mean, we've just emboldened them now. If you think that this won't happen again, you're mistaken.'

Archives of Byk's show are available here.

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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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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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Beloved by the many fans with whom he came in contact, as well as by his fellow employees, jockeys and horsemen, Shear opted to retire at age 100 in 2021. That same year he was honored by the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters with the Mr. Fitz Award for typifying the spirit of racing.

“John will be deeply missed by countless life-long friends here at Santa Anita,” said Nate Newby, Santa Anita Senior Vice President and General Manager.  “We were honored to have him as part of the Santa Anita family for more than 60 years of dedicated service and we'll never forget him.”

Born Jan. 17, 1921 in England, Shear was raised in an orphanage from age four to 14. At four feet, 11 inches, Shear, who sustained a shoulder injury while serving in an anti-aircraft unit during World War II, originally aspired to be a jockey and following the war, he emigrated to Vancouver, B.C., from where he came to Santa Anita as an exercise boy in 1954.

Shear, who was an assistant trainer when he first began working in Santa Anita's parking lot in 1961, led an amazing life and remained fit thanks to a good diet and a consistent exercise regimen.

He earned national acclaim at age 90, when on March 12, 2011, he saved a 5-year-old girl from catastrophic injury when he shielded her from a loose horse that bolted out of Santa Anita's Seabiscuit Walking Ring.

John Shear is survived by his wife, Diane and their son, Michael Shear, who said that at some point in the near future, the family would have a private ceremony in honor of his father.

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Winners in 17 horse and human categories will be announced on FanDuel TV, and other outlets, during the 52nd annual Eclipse Awards, presented by John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club,  on Thursday, Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The evening will culminate with the announcement of the 2022 Horse of the Year.

Of the 258 eligible voters represented by the NTRA, consisting of member racetrack racing officials and Equibase field personnel, the NTWAB, and Daily Racing Form, 246 (95.3%) 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 2022 Eclipse Awards Finalists, with the exception of Horse of the Year, (in alphabetical order) are:

Two-Year-Old Male: Cave Rock (Arrogate), Forte (Violence), Victoria Road (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn})

Two-Year-Old Filly: Leave No Trace (Outwork), Meditate (Ire) (No Nay Never), Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief)

Three-Year-Old Male: Epicenter (Not This Time), Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Taiba (Gun Runner)

Three-Year-Old Filly: Nest (Curlin), Secret Oath (Arrogate), Tuesday (Ire) (Galileo {Ire})

Older Dirt Male: Flightline (Tapit), Life Is Good (Into Mischief), Olympiad (Speightstown)

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

Male Sprinter: Cody's Wish (Curlin), Elite Power (Curlin), Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music)

Female Sprinter: Caravel (Mizzen Mast), Echo Zulu (Gun Runner), Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper)

Male Turf Horse: Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Nations Pride (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire})

Female Turf Horse: In Italian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom), War Like Goddess (English Channel)

Steeplechase Horse: Down Royal (Alphabet Soup), Hewick (Ire) (Virtual {GB}), Snap Decision (Hard Spun)

Owner: Peter Brant, Godolphin LLC, Klaravich Stables Inc.

Breeder: Godolphin LLC, Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC, Summer Wind Equine LLC

Trainer: Steve Asmussen, Chad Brown, Todd Pletcher

Jockey: Irad Ortiz, Jr., Flavien Prat, Joel Rosario

Apprentice Jockey: Jeiron Barbosa, Vicente Del-Cid, Jose Antonio Gomez

In addition to honoring the 17 winners in the horse and human categories, David Harrison will receive the Eclipse Award as the 2022 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 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.

The post 2022 Eclipse Awards Finalists Named appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The Thoroughbred Daily News Staff that are members of the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB) submitted their selections this week and here is a rundown of the results from some of the categories, along with their 'strongest vote.'

Bill
Horse of the Year: Flightline
3-Year-Old Male: Taiba
3-Year-Old Filly: Nest
2-Year-Old Male: Forte
Male Sprinter: Elite Power
Female Turf Horse: Regal Glory
Older Dirt Female: Malathaat
Owner: Godolphin
Breeder: Godolphin
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Strongest Vote: Epicenter is a deserving champ, but with Taiba having three Grade I wins to Epicenter's one, I went for Taiba in the 3-year-old male division.

Alan
Horse of the Year: Flightline
3-Year-Old Male: Epicenter
3-Year-Old Filly: Nest
2-Year-Old Male: Forte
Male Sprinter: Jackie's Warrior
Female Turf Horse: Regal Glory
Older Dirt Female: Malathaat
Owner: Godolphin
Breeder: Godolphin
Trainer: Chad Brown
Strongest Vote: Though she stubbed her toe against the boys and even with a head-to-head defeat to her commonly owned stablemate In Italian, Regal Glory gets the slight nod for three very strong top-level scores in 2022.

Christina
Horse of the Year: Flightline
3-Year-Old Male: Epicenter
3-Year-Old Filly: Nest
2-Year-Old Male: Forte
Male Sprinter: Elite Power
Female Turf Horse: In Italian
Older Dirt Female: Malathaat
Owner: Godolphin
Breeder: Godolphin
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Strongest Vote: Looking at this year's Eclipse voting, TAP holds a strong hand with both fillies and colts, horses of varying ages and across several divisions. In my opinion, he is dominance personified.

Sara
Horse of the Year: Flightline
3-Year-Old Male: Epicenter
3-Year-Old Filly: Nest
2-Year-Old Male: Forte
Male Sprinter: Jackie's Warrior
Female Turf Horse: Regal Glory
Older Dirt Female: Malathaat
Owner: Godolphin
Breeder: Godolphin
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Strongest Vote: Malathaat is my top pick this year. She not only continued the momentum from her season as a champion 3-year-old, but built upon that success with an ultra-impressive blend of tenacity and heart, topped by a breathtaking performance in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff.

J.N.
Horse of the Year: Flightline
3-Year-Old Male: Modern Games (Ire)
3-Year-Old Filly: Nest
2-Year-Old Male: Forte
Male Sprinter: Cody's Wish
Female Turf Horse: Regal Glory
Older Dirt Female: Malathaat
Owner: Hronis Racing, Siena Farm, Summer Wind Equine, West Point Thoroughbreds
Breeder: Summer Wind Equine
Trainer: John Sadler
Strongest Vote: It was Flightline and Co.'s year, but lest we forget that Modern Games won a pair of Grade Is in North America against older (which included the Breeders' Cup Mile), which tells me this turf horse earned the bob in the hotly contested 3-year-old male division.

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Eurton, a fixture on FanDuel TV and NBC Sports and the daughter of California trainer Peter Eurton, returns to the Eclipse Awards in 2023, having co-hosted each of the last three years. Hazelton, whose late father Richard trained some 4,700 winners in a 60-year career, got his start with HRTV before moving over to TVG and is one of the network's go-to reporters for international racing, having covered several runnings of the Dubai World Cup and Royal Ascot. Also the paddock analyst for racing at Keeneland, Hazelton serves as an announcer for the company's auctions. Wolfendale has served as paddock host and analyst for the New York Racing Association for the past dozen years and is a mainstay on the NYRA-produced 'America's Day at the Races' and 'Saratoga Live.' Wolfendale also serves as an exercise rider to her husband, trainer Tom Morley, and has retired and retrained several of his former runners.

A VIP pre-sale of tickets will begin Monday, Nov. 7, and general ticket sales start a week later. To stay up to date on the Eclipse Awards and for additional information, click here.

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The Eclipse Awards, honoring excellence in Thoroughbred racing, are voted upon by the NTRA, represented by member racetrack racing officials and Equibase field personnel, NTWAB and Daily Racing Form, and are produced by the NTRA.

TVG also will televise live the 51st Eclipse Awards ceremony on Thursday, Feb. 10 beginning with a “Green Carpet” Preview Show Presented by Keeneland at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the Eclipse Awards broadcast at 8 p.m. ET. The ceremony also will be streamed on additional outlets. The evening will culminate with the announcement of the 2021 Horse of the Year. Finalists in the Horse of the Year category also will be announced earlier that evening.

Eclipse Awards ticket information is available at the NTRA website https://www.ntra.com/eclipse-awards/.

The Eclipse Awards are sponsored Roberts Communications, Four Roses Bourbon, Daily Racing Form, Breeders' Cup, FanDuel Group, The Stronach Group, Santa Anita Park, TVG, Dean Dorton, Stonestreet Farm, Keeneland, Racetrack Television Network, Jackson Family Wines, Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, Hallway Feeds and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.

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. The Eclipse Awards are bestowed upon horses and individuals whose outstanding achievements in North America have earned them the title of Champion in their respective categories. Eclipse Awards also are given to recognize members of the media for outstanding coverage of Thoroughbred racing.

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Eclipse Award tickets are available for $425 each or $4,000 for a table of 10. For additional information, log on to the NTRA website at https://www.ntra.com/eclipse-awards/.

The “black-tie optional” Eclipse Awards dinner and awards ceremony will be held in an expansive chalet adjacent to Santa Anita Park's iconic clubhouse beginning at 4:00 p.m. (PT). The dinner and awards, which begin at 5:00 p.m. (PT), will be followed by an After Party in The Chandelier Room, Santa Anita's art deco masterpiece overlooking the racetrack and San Gabriel Mountains. The Eclipse Awards on Thursday evening kicks off a festive weekend of activities highlighted by racing Friday through Sunday. Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, will take place on Sunday, Feb. 13.

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

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.

The post Eclipse Awards At Santa Anita Park On Feb. 10; Tickets On Sale Now appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The NTWAB Awards Dinner is the organization's only fundraiser and a portion of the proceeds of the event are used toward scholarships for prospective racing journalists and to support other Thoroughbred industry charities. The NTWAB Awards Dinner returns to its traditional date on the Breeders' Cup Week calendar after a one-year hiatus and will be held at the iconic Brigantine Seafood and Oyster Bar in Del Mar, California.

Shear will be honored with the Mr. Fitz Award for “typifying the spirit of racing”. During his time with Santa Anita, Shear was entrusted with keeping horses and patrons safe, and famously risked his life in that endeavor 10 years ago at age 90 to put his 5-foot, 115-pound body between a loose horse and a child–resulting in multiple fractures. He was one of the most recognizable employees at Santa Anita and worked as a paddock guard for nearly 60 years, retiring this past summer.

Smith, who served more than 40 years as full-time director of media relations at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, will be honored with the Joe Palmer Award for meritorious service to racing. Smith was at the forefront of Del Mar's innovations that attracted new fans and enhanced the experience of traditional customers, while always putting the racing product front and center. Prior to his career in media relations, Smith covered racing and other sports for the Los Angeles Times. Prior to his retirement in 2021, the Dan Smith Press Box was christened at Del Mar.

Shulman, the features editor at BloodHorse magazine for 20 years and the author of four books including “Justify: 111 Days to Triple Crown Glory,” will be honored with the Walter Haight Award for career excellence in Turf writing. Shulman also wrote “Ride of Their Lives,” a look at the troubled lives of some jockeys, and two novels, “Long Way From Home” and “Points.”

Byk, the host of the popular “At the Races with Steve Byk” show on SiriusXM, will be honored with the Jim McKay Award for career excellence in broadcasting. Byk's five-day-a-week news magazine has become a must-listen for many industry participants and fans. Byk began writing about racing in 2002, eventually developing DerbyTrail.com. He joined 'At the Races and Beyond' on Sirius in 2005 and took over the show in 2007.

Tickets for the NTWAB Awards Dinner, which can be purchased through EventBrite, are $80 for NTWAB members and Breeders' Cup credentialed media and $100 for non-members and guests. Invitations will be mailed to NTWAB members, and non-members can request an invitation by contacting Jessie Oswald at jboswald68@gmail.com.

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