Photos by Skip Dickstein. Award Winners: Team Kenny McPeek, Backside Learning Center, Sean Clancy, Laffit Pincay III, Tom Law, John Cherwa

My fellow National Turf Writers and Broadcasters – I’m excited to see many of you at our 64th annual NTWAB Annual Awards Dinner on Oct. 30 and in the days to follow at our Oct. 31 general membership meeting at Del Mar or during the two-day event there on Nov. 1-2. We have a sell-out crowd of 150 attendees for our Wednesday dinner at The Brigantine as we honor Team Kenny McPeek, the Backside Learning Center, Sean Clancy and Laffit Pincay III. Thank you to our membership for your support, and those who have given their time into making this dinner a success. The awards dinner will be just down the street from Del Mar Thoroughbred Club on the outside patio at The Brigantine Del Mar, 3263 Camino Del Mar. We’ll begin with cocktails at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30, with awards presentations to follow. The Breeders’ Cup Writing Awards will also be presented during the evening. Business/cocktail attire. Valet parking is available at The Brigantine, but due to our capacity crowd, the restaurant suggests Uber or Lyft rides to best accommodate guests. For those not at Del Mar on Thursday, I hope you can join us for our membership meeting at 11 a.m. PT (2 p.m. ET) via Zoom. Here is the link . The meeting will include an update on happenings for our organization over the past year and will provide an opportunity for us to review applicants to our organization. We’ll have a follow-up from the awards dinner and also address any other items of business. The board is committed to serving the needs of our membership, and we welcome your perspective for the closing months of 2024 and as we head into 2025. If you’d like specific issues to be added to the agenda, please let me or NTWAB Secretary Jennifer Kelly know. For those on-site, the meeting will take place in the auxiliary press box. A complete agenda will be sent next week. Here is a rundown of beneficial media resources available for Breeders’ Cup coverage: · The Oct. 23 Breeders’ Cup pre-entry teleconference: https://www.breederscup.com/notes · Pre-entry past performances: https://www.equibase.com/content/bc/2024preentries.cfm · Breeders’ Cup statistics: https://stats.breederscup.com/ · Breeders’ Cup media center: https://breederscup.com/media-center · Breeders’ Cup trainer bios: https://www.equibase.com/content/BC/probabletrainers.cfm · Breeders’ Cup owner bios: https://www.equibase.com/content/BC/probableowners.cfm · Breeders’ Cup jockey bios: https://www.equibase.com/content/BC/probablejockeys.cfm · Breeders’ Cup contender profiles: https://breederscup.com/horses/pre-entries/classic · Horsemen’s guide: https://members.breederscup.com/documents/championships/HIG.PDF · Breeders’ Cup saddle towels: https://www.breederscup.com/towels Kind regards, Byron King President, NTWAB Oct. 25, 2024

Lexington, KY, October 9, 2024: The Eclipse Awards for Media are presented by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers And Broadcasters. Rules governing the Media Eclipse Awards are established by representatives of the three presenting organizations. MEDIA ECLIPSE AWARD CATEGORIES Writing - News/Enterprise Writing - Feature/Commentary Photography Television - Live Racing Programming Television - Features Audio/Multimedia Internet DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS Entries must be RECEIVED by 5:00 p.m. (ET), Friday, November 15, 2024. Entries received after that time will not be accepted. Entries for the Writing, Photography, and Audio/Multimedia Internet, and Television awards will be accepted through the Eclipse Awards Submissions Portal. Instructions are in the link below: https://www.ntra.com/eclipse-award-media-submission-portal/ ENTRY FEE None RULES Entries should display outstanding achievement in the coverage of North American Thoroughbred racing and must have been primarily published or aired for the first time between November 20, 2023, and November 14, 2024. All submissions are limited only to works pertaining to the Thoroughbred breed , and no other equine breed. Submissions on subjects, topics, and individuals that took place exclusively outside of North America will not be accepted. Print and Internet submissions (news/enterprise writing, feature/commentary writing, and photography) must have been published in a paid-circulation, independent publication OR on the Internet at a website that is a same-name affiliate of a paid-circulation, independent publication, recognized broadcast news organization (e.g., The BloodHorse Interactive, the Boston Globe Online, MSNBC) or on an independent, non-industry supported website. Internet submissions that originate from blogs or social media platforms are not eligible for the competition, unless previously authorized. Television entries must have aired on a commercial, subscription or public television station. Audio/Multimedia entries must have aired on a commercial or public radio station or been broadcast on the Internet at a site that is a same-name affiliate of a paid-circulation publication or recognized broadcast news organization. Fiction or entries that constitute a commercial application (e.g., advertisements, publicity or promotions) are not eligible in any category. Submissions from recognized Thoroughbred industry outlets will be accepted as long as those submissions appear in a recognized paid circulation publication, website, television, or multimedia outlet. Submissions that appear solely on the industry outlet's website or video platform will not be accepted. Submissions by industry outlets are subject to review by the Eclipse Award Steering Committee prior to official entry into the competition in all categories. LETTERS OF ENTRY Entries must originate with the author (print submissions) or producer (audio/multi-media Internet and television submissions). All entries must include a cover letter, and uploaded in the Submissions Portal from the author (for print submissions), photographer (for photography submissions), or producer (for audio/multimedia Internet and television), stating his/her wish to enter his/her materials; publication/broadcast information (outlined below); and contact information (name, address, telephone, fax, cell phone and e-mail, as applicable). Please indicate the category of each submission in your cover letter. If you are submitting in two distinct categories please include two separate cover letters. The cover letter in the two writing categories, photography and audio/multimedia must be written in a stand-alone Word Document and uploaded to the Submissions Portal. Please include the date that the media organization published the article, in the cases of the writing and photography awards, or the air date of a multi-media/internet submission. DO NOT include information in your cover letter extolling the virtues of your story and the “impact” on the public at large, or the time and effort devoted to writing or producing the entry. The judges will not see your letter, and it will have no bearing on the outcome of the competition. Editors may submit print materials on behalf of authors, provided such submissions include the cover letter described above. All other third-party submissions will be rejected. In the writing categories, submissions by editors on behalf of multiple writers from a publication on a feature subject, special section, or a compendium of stories on breaking news will be rejected. Authors and producers must identify in their cover letters any sections of their submissions that have been previously published in their current form i.e., tracts of copy taken verbatim from articles or videos containing the exact same language or narration, which is being repurposed for the current entry. This information will be relayed to the judges. The presenting organizations reserve the right to determine the eligibility of all entries and to disqualify an entry at any time, including after the determination of an award, at its sole discretion. The presenting organizations reserve the right not to bestow an award in a particular category, based on the quantity or (as determined by a panel of judges) the quality of submissions. Questions concerning eligibility should be directed to the address for entries, listed below. By submitting an entry for consideration, the entrant represents and warrants that submission is a factual and accurate depiction of the subject it concerns. LIMITS ON ENTRIES Two per entrant, per category (with an exception for a multi-part series in the writing categories). Entrants in the writing categories are limited to submissions by the individual author, or by the author’s editor, with permission from the author. Upon submission, you will receive an automatic reply from NTRA to notify you that your entry or entries have been received. The NTRA will contact you directly if there are any rules or issues with your submission. It is the obligation of the individual to follow up if he or she did not receive an automatic reply in the writing, multi-media, and photography categories. MEDIA ECLIPSE AWARDS CATEGORIES 1) News/Enterprise and Feature/Commentary Writing There are two categories of competition for Writing awards: 1) News/Enterprise – Submission guidelines for works in this category are the following: timely, hard news articles and expository pieces involving concentrated background research, investigative reporting, or news analysis. 2) Feature/Commentary – Submission guidelines for works in this category are columns, opinion pieces, essays, viewpoints, and biographical profiles. Submissions from industry outlets that are published by a recognized publication will be eligible for the competition in an unedited version in either category. However, standard press releases will not be accepted. Submissions that appear solely on the industry outlet's website or video platform will not be accepted. Please note that competition in the Writing categories is limited to three (3) authors in the byline for single articles or for articles submitted as a multi-part series. -No Q&A submissions will be accepted in either category. Multi-Part Series Rules Within each category of writing, authors may submit a multi-part series of related articles that: A) Have been pre-arranged by the editors and stated in the published work that the articles constitute a specified series; with the same subject matter (e.g., racing surfaces, medication) examined or profiled in each article of the series. Articles submitted under the title “occasional series” will not be accepted. Collections of articles under the title “The Year in Horse Racing” will not be accepted. B) Authors submitting a multi-part series may not submit an additional piece in the same category. They may, however, enter another category, subject to the rules outlined above. Submission in either the News/Enterprise or Feature/Commentary category excludes the candidate from submitting the same written piece in the Audio and Multi-Media Internet category. Books – Excerpts from published books, whether complete narratives or in anthology form, will not be accepted. Authors must identify in their cover letters any sections of their submissions that have been previously published in their current form i.e., tracts of copy taken verbatim from articles or videos containing the exact same language or narration, which is being repurposed for the current entry. This information will be relayed to the judges. I. COVER LETTER Please upload a cover letter in the Submissions Portal stating the name, date, and publication of your submission and the category you have selected. Please also send a web link of your article as proof that it was published during the time period of the competition. II. SUBMISSIONS TO THE JUDGES · Authors must submit ONE copy of each submission in common Microsoft Word format. No Zip files will be accepted. DO NOT PLACE A WEB LINK IN YOUR MICROSOFT WORD DOCUMENT TO THE JUDGES. · Submissions must appear as the article was worded in the PUBLISHED form. · At the top of your submission, you must include the date and time that the article was first published. · All Headlines, Sub-Headlines, Bylines, and Hyperlinks MUST BE REMOVED from the submission. · No publication names are permitted on the submission. · You MUST REMOVE THE NAME OF YOUR PUBLICATION EACH TIME IT APPEARS IN YOUR SUBMISSION, and insert the words “name of publication removed;” e.g. “According to a recent study by the Anywhere USA Times…” must be changed to “According to a recent study by (Name of Publication Removed)…” · Photos, graphs, charts, hyperlinks, or other graphic elements appearing within the article(s) must be deleted. · The author must indicate for which writing category the work is being submitted (e.g., “News Enterprise” or “Feature Commentary” in the cover letter). Submissions Portal Link https://www.ntra.com/eclipse-award-media-submission-portal/ 2) Photography Photography entries are limited to images for events that took place in North America. Submission must have been published in a paid-circulation publication OR on the Internet at a website that is a same-name affiliate of a paid-circulation publication, recognized broadcast news organization (e.g., The BloodHorse, the Boston Globe Online, MSNBC) or on an independent news outlet. Photographs from recognized industry outlets that have been published on paid-circulation publications or recognized broadcast news organizations will be accepted. Internet submissions that originate from blogs or social media platforms are not eligible for the competition, unless previously authorized. Submissions from recognized Thoroughbred industry outlets will be accepted as long as those submissions appear in a recognized paid circulation publication, website, television, or multimedia outlet . Submissions that appear solely on the industry outlet's website will not be accepted. I. COVER LETTER Please upload a cover letter through the Submissions Portal in an attachment stating the name, date, and publication of your photography submission. Please also send a web link of your photograph as proof that it was published during the time period of the competition. NOTE: The cover letter is to be sent as a single stand/alone attachment and not an open document in the email part of the submission. II. SUBMISSION OF PHOTOGRAPHS Photographers must submit in jpeg format one image of each photo, with NO identifying marks (e.g., photographer’s name). The submission must be accompanied by a single “Web print” in the cover letter of the published photo showing date, publication title, and photographer’s name. Note: No Zip Files will be accepted. Submissions will be judged based on the following criteria: originality, creativity, composition, and magnitude of the moment. Please note that cropping of the original photo by the editor in the picture’s final published form will be accepted. However, photographs that include color enhancement, “Photoshopping” or deliberate alteration of the image will not be allowed in the competition. Submission Portal https://www.ntra.com/eclipse-award-media-submission-portal/ 3) Television -- Live Racing Programming and Features Television entries (features or live racing programming) from a recognized over-the-air, cable, or satellite outlet are to be submitted in via the weblink to the portal listed below. Your link must be accompanied by a letter detailing the name of the entrant, the date each program aired, and the name of the station or network on which it aired. Commercials must be deleted or the entry will be disqualified. However, opening billboards returning from a commercial break will be accepted. An industry outlet may submit an entry as long as that submission has aired on a recognized television outlet. Submissions related to industry promotional projects or from breeding farms will not be accepted into the competition. There are two television award categories: 1. Live Racing Programming entries must be from a live racing program of Thoroughbred horse racing. Programs with the subject matter primarily devoted to morning workouts will not be included. 2. Feature entries may be submitted as either single, stand-alone pieces, a documentary, a historical piece, a news report, or as part of a live-racing program. Entries in the Features category are limited to 120 minutes. “Medley” tapes containing more than two features of any duration, will not be accepted. ALL SUBMISSIONS MUST BE SENT AS WEB LINKS and uploaded to the Submissions Portal. https://www.ntra.com/eclipse-award-media-submission-portal/ Please be sure your entry is not password protected and that your link will open directly to your submission. 4) Audio/Multimedia Internet Audio/Multimedia Internet entries is one category combining audio (radio, podcasts) with multi-media. It is not two separate categories. All entries must have aired on a commercial or public radio station or been on the Internet at a site that is a same-name affiliate of a paid-circulation publication or recognized broadcast news organization. Entries airing exclusively on YouTube will not be accepted. Submissions from industry outlets that are published by a recognized publication will be eligible for the competition in an unedited version in either category. Submissions that appear solely on the industry outlet's website or video platform will not be accepted. All entries in this category must be limited to 60 minutes. Entries for live radio broadcasts may submit a compilation of the best work over the course of one program. ALL SUBMISSIONS MUST BE SENT AS WEB LINKS and uploaded to the Submissions Portal. https://www.ntra.com/eclipse-award-media-submission-portal/ The Audio/Multimedia Internet category may consist of audio only (e.g., a radio or Internet-based broadcast) OR a multi-media, Internet-based submission, whose components include audio. No more than two (2) individual radio or Internet-based audio broadcasts per person may be submitted. “Medley” tapes containing more than three radio shows or Webcasts of any duration, will not be accepted. The Multimedia Internet entries must have one integrated theme and be presented in a Webcast centering on a news event, subject, or feature. To be eligible, the Webcast must include at least two forms of media, one of which must be original audio. The complementary form(s) of media may be video, photographs, graphics, and/or print (e.g., a story or stories). Please note that if the entry includes video, the video must be produced as original content. The entry, in its entirety, must be retrievable from one Internet frame, with links to components of the package being considered part of the frame, provided they link back to pages within the originating Web site and not to other, external Websites. Entries that first appeared over the air or on cable television prior to appearing on the internet will not be accepted. Submission in the Multimedia Internet category excludes the candidate from submitting the same written piece in the News/Enterprise or Feature/Commentary categories. Multimedia Internet submissions must be accompanied by a letter from the editor or equivalent senior official of the website, attesting that the package is the work of the author(s) or organization that submitted it and that it appeared on the website on the date(s) in question. Authors/Producers must identify in their cover letters any sections of their submissions that have been previously published in their current form i.e., tracts of copy taken verbatim from articles or videos containing the exact same language or narration, which is being repurposed for the current entry. This information will be relayed to the judges. Audio/Multimedia Internet entries must be submitted as a single URL Web address. Commercial breaks for radio entries must be deleted or the entry will be disqualified. However, an opening “billboard” with sponsor mentions will be permitted. Submissions of Webcasts and Radio Programs must be accompanied by: 1) A letter from the Web producer or equivalent senior official of the Website attesting that the work is that of the author who submitted it and including the date the program was Webcast and the name of the website on which it aired. 2) Program title and air date of the production or webcast. 3) The name of the network, radio station, or web outlet NOTIFICATION OF WINNERS Winners will be notified by the NTRA no later than Thursday, January 2, 2025. --NTRA release

LOUISVILLE, KY (Aug. 27, 2024) Team Kenny McPeek – the many people involved in the unforgettable year for the trainer’s stable – will be honored along with the Backside Learning Center, turf writer Sean Clancy and broadcaster Laffit Pincay III during the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters’ 64th Annual Awards Dinner on Wednesday, Oct. 30 in Del Mar, Calif. The NTWAB Annual Awards Dinner is the organization’s only fundraiser, and a portion of the proceeds of the event will fund Thoroughbred industry charities and internships for prospective racing journalists. The 2024 NTWAB Awards Dinner will be held at The Brigantine Del Mar, located just a mile away from Del Mar Racetrack, which will host the Breeders’ Cup Nov. 1-2. In honoring Team Kenny McPeek with the Mr. Fitz Award for typifying the spirit of racing, the NTWAB recognizes the trainer and his staff, exercise rider Danny Ramsey, jockey Brian Hernandez Jr., and the horses’ owners – whose collective efforts and promotion of the sport have created fans and cultivated excitement in horse racing. McPeek this year became just the third trainer in history to pull off what is known as the Oaks-Derby Double when Thorpedo Anna and Mystik Dan won the Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs. With Mystik Dan a follow-up second in the Preakness and eighth in the Belmont Stakes (G1) and Thorpedo Anna capturing the Acorn Stakes (G1) and Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) at Saratoga before running second against males in the Travers Stakes (G1), fans and media were the beneficiaries of engagement from Team Kenny McPeek. The Backside Learning Center, an independent non-profit organization, provides support and resources for the community of racetrack workers and their families at Churchill Downs and surrounding tracks and training facilities, making the BLC a fitting recipient of the Joe Palmer Award for meritorious service to racing. The BLC offers access to education and programs for youth and adults that support health and well-being; holistic support through comprehensive case management and human services; and a support system for family empowerment while emphasizing culture and community engagement. Clancy is the recipient of the Walter Haight Award for career excellence in turf writing. A champion steeplechase jockey who embarked on a journalism career after his riding days, Clancy, with his brother Joe, started Steeplechase Times in 1994 and The Saratoga Special in 2001. He is a two-time Eclipse Award winner. He won his first in 2009 in the News/Commentary category for “Life’s Work” in The Blood-Horse about the estate sale of the late Hall of Fame trainer Sidney Watters Jr. Last year, he was honored for his story “The Worst Test” about the fatal breakdown of Maple Leaf Mel in the Test Stakes (G1) that appeared in The Saratoga Special. Pincay, the son of one of the greatest jockeys in the history of the sport, is the recipient of the Jim McKay Award for broadcast excellence. Part of the HRTV team from 2002-15, he joined ESPN’s telecast of the 2007 Breeders’ Cup and later became a key part of coverage of the American Triple Crown and the Breeders’ Cup on NBC. Since 2019, he has worked as a host for the FOX/NYRA broadcasts seen daily during all of New York’s meetings, including Belmont and Saratoga, as well as coverage of Oaklawn Park’s biggest events like the Arkansas Derby (G1). Tickets for the NTWAB Awards Dinner can be purchased at the NTWAB website here . Tickets are $85 for NTWAB members and Breeders’ Cup credentialed media and $115 for non-members and guests. The NTWAB also offers tables of eight and 10 at a discount. Invitations will be mailed to NTWAB members, and non-members can request an invitation by contacting Jennifer Kelly at thesirbarton@gmail.com. The winners of two Breeders’ Cup writing awards will also be announced by Breeders’ Cup at the dinner. En Espanol .

The Breeders’ Cup Writing Awards honor excellence in coverage of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. There are two awards that will celebrate outstanding writing: -The Joe Hirsch Award for Outstanding News Reporting -The Bill Leggett Award for Outstanding Feature Writing These awards are based on coverage of the 2023 (last year’s) Breeders’ Cup World Championships. To enter the competition for these awards, contestants may submit a maximum of one submission per category: a choice from 2023 in Outstanding News Reporting, and a choice from 2023 for Outstanding Feature Writing. Please note that two submissions in one category from the same year will not be accepted. Deadline for Entry is Friday, September 27, 2024 1. Joe Hirsch Award for Outstanding News Reporting This competition is open to those affiliated with a newspaper, magazine, or internet site. The submissions for the Joe Hirsch Award for Outstanding News Reporting are limited to a maximum of one submission. The submission must be a focused recap article of a 2023 Breeders’ Cup World Championships race. Your submitted article can be from a Breeders’ Cup race that took place on Friday, Nov. 3, or from a Breeders Cup race that took place on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. Please include a timestamp web link to your article. (It is understood that an article submitted under deadline circumstances may not have been posted by editors in a timely manner.) 2. Bill Leggett Award for Outstanding Feature Writing The competition is open to those affiliated with a newspaper, magazine, or internet site. The submissions for the Bill Leggett Award for Outstanding Feature Writing are limited to a maximum of one article. Your submission must be focused on a feature aspect of the 2023 Breeders’ Cup: an advance story on a race, an individual profile, a column, or a business article. Please also include the publication date of your article. The winners of these awards will be announced at the National Turf Writers And Broadcasters Annual Awards Dinner on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024 at The Brigantine Del Mar. Submission instructions are as follows: Two steps: 1) Cover Letter and 2) Clean Documents for Judging 1. Write an email cover letter to jim@breederscup.com a) Indicate the category for competition (News Reporting or Feature) b) Name of publication c) Headline of article d) Include a web link to the article in your cover letter. The link is not for judging purposes, just proof of published work. We need a clean Word document for judging. 2. Attach your Clean Documents of your submissions in Microsoft Word document or a similar format. Please do not submit an open document in an email. For a News Reporting submission, please place a timestamp at the top of the article. For Feature Reporting submissions, please place the date of publication. However, do not place your byline or the name of your publication in any of your clean documents that will be judged. Submission deadline is Friday, September 27, 2024. Thanks very much and Good Luck to all competitors. --Breeders' Cup release with limited added content

Carlos Morales of Agentes 305, whose horse racing videos have garnered more than six million views over three social media platforms, has been named the winner of the 2024 Bill Handleman Award for outstanding coverage of last year's TVG.com Haskell Stakes, Monmouth Park announced today. First presented in 2012, the Handleman Award honors distinguished media coverage of the $1 million, Grade 1 NYRA Bets Haskell Stakes, Monmouth Park's showcase race. It is presented annually prior to the Haskell. Morales, an NTWAB member who serves on the board of directors, started Agentes 305 in 2019 to highlight horse racing through video interviews with owners, trainers, jockeys and backstretch workers in both Spanish and English on YouTube, X and Instagram. In addition to his recent exemplary Haskell coverage, Morales has done on-site videos from the Triple Crown races, the Breeders' Cup, the Dubai World Cup and the Saudi Cup, traveling the globe to interview racing's key participants. "I started this with the idea of highlighting horse racing and all of the good things about it," said Morales. "But it's also to showcase and recognize everyone in the business for their contributions to horse racing." Morales, a native of Caracas, Venezuela, grew up in a racing family, with his family owning or training horses since the 1950s, he said. The award honors the late Bill Handleman, one of New Jersey's top sportswriters for nearly three decades for the Asbury Park Press. Handleman, a fixture at Monmouth Park and a passionate chronicler of the sport, died in June of 2010 at the age of 62. The first recipient of the Handleman Award was Tom Luicci of The Star-Ledger, followed by Steve Edelson of The Asbury Park Press in 2013, Dave Johnson of Sirius XM in 2014, Ed McNamara of Newsday in 2015, Bob Ehalt of ESPN.com and Bloodhorse in 2016, Tom Cassidy of TVG.com in 2017, Jim Dunleavy of Daily Racing Form in 2018, Mike Farrell of The Associated Press in 2019, Steve Byk of At the Races With Steve Byk in 2020, Matt Shifman of Horse Racing Nation in 2021, John Brennan of usbets.com in 2022 and announcer/TV racing analyst Larry Collmus last year. --Edited release from Monmouth Park

NTWAB members,  t was great seeing so many of you during Kentucky Derby week at Churchill Downs and others in person or via Zoom in our spring meeting. For those who may have been unable to attend, our longtime president, Tom Law, stepped down from his leadership role, though he will continue to serve the board this year, providing much-needed guidance. Additionally, our vice president Greg Hall and board member Frank Angst have concluded their board service to the NTWAB. All served the NTWAB with distinction and excellence. Sara Gordon from The Thoroughbred Daily News and Carlos Morales of Agentes 305 will join the board this year. Both bring infectious positivity to everything they do. Continuing to serve as directors on the board are Nicole Russo, Scott Hazelton, Steve Byk, and Tom Law. Dick Downey and Jennifer Kelly continue their roles as treasurer and secretary, respectively. Nathan Campbell is our new vice president, and I am honored to be your NTWAB president. We have also added a half dozen new members: Molly Rollins, Pete Denk, Joe Perez, Andie Biancone, Katie Ritz Petrunyak, and Stefanie Grimm. There is a second opportunity in the fall for those still wishing to join. We welcome others to join our organization! The board and officers pledge to continue Tom and Greg’s fine leadership. As Tom and Greg did before us, Nathan and I will exercise our position as a critical third of the Eclipse Award steering committee. You will recall our frustrations related to steering committee actions that unfolded last year in which an honoree was advanced despite our reluctance. Ultimately, through Tom and Greg’s efforts, the NTWAB received a promise that any decisions related to the special or merit Eclipse Awards would require a vote and a unanimous result to move forward. Abstentions will be accepted, but only for a direct conflict of interest. This promise follows years (decades perhaps) of an unwritten tradition of the committee that any special or merit honors handed out would be after overwhelming approval of the steering committee. The longstanding unwritten process is now formalized. The other area of concern has been the change in the media contest rules to allow work created by industry publicity vehicles. While the steering committee could not reach an agreement on this, everyone agreed to discuss the matter further to work toward a resolution. Nathan and I will continue to advocate for the NTWAB on this important issue. As Tom noted in our Derby week meeting, the steering committee has asked us to discuss or propose an alternative. One idea from within the NTWAB includes generating a separate award or awards for publicity outlets and discussing this possibility with the Turf Publicists of America before the steering committee meets. I welcome your thoughts on this possibility or any other suggestions you may have. Feel free to email me at ByronnealkingKY@gmail.com or contact another board member on this or any other matter. Also, please consider potential honorees for our annual fall fundraiser, which will take place during Breeders’ Cup week at Del Mar. If you have someone well suited to any of our awards, please submit the name of the person you’d like to nominate and the basis for your support. Early submissions are welcomed before voting takes place this summer. Last year’s honorees were superb: Team Cody’s Wish, Mike Kane, The Edwin J. Gregson Foundation, Kenny Rice, and Cindy Hutter. Let’s make this year’s group just as special! Have a great Preakness week! Byron King NTWAB president May 15, 2024

Good afternoon! We’re a little more than two weeks out from the Kentucky Derby and even less time until our spring meeting at Churchill Downs. Please mark your calendars for 11 a.m. ET Wednesday, May 1 for that meeting, which will be an in-person gathering for those in Louisville and virtual for members who don’t make the trip. The spring meeting is an important one, as this being an even-numbered year we’ll be electing/re-electing the organization’s four officers and half of the board of directors. All members in good standing are eligible to serve the organization and the terms that expire at the spring meeting are as follows: • All Officers – Tom Law (President), Greg Hall (Vice President), Dick Downey (Treasurer) and Jennifer Kelly (Secretary). • Directors – Frank Angst, Nathan Campbell and Nicole Russo The Director terms of Steve Byk, Byron King and Scott Hazelton do not expire until the Spring 2025 meeting. If you are interested in serving, please let me or any officer/director know. Some officers/directors may choose to run or not run for re-election. A specific agenda for the meeting will be sent before May 1, but we’ll also be discussing the NTWAB Annual Awards Dinner, membership review, new member applications, follow-up from the 2023 Eclipse Awards, Kentucky Derby Week logistics and other topics. If you have a topic you feel should be added to the agenda, please pass that along to NTWAB Secretary Jennifer Kelly at thesirbarton@gmail.com . Speaking of new members, Jennifer sent a reminder recently regarding applications for those interested in joining the organization. If you know anyone interested or have someone in your organization that you feel qualifies for membership, please have them write a letter applying and send two letters of recommendation to Jennifer at thesirbarton@gmail.com . That deadline is April 26. Looking forward to seeing you soon, Tom Law NTWAB President April 17, 2024

The Maryland Jockey Club announced today it is accepting entries for the David F. Woods Memorial Award, presented for the best Preakness story from 2023, and the Jerry Frutkoff Photography Award, presented to the photographer of the best Preakness image from 2023. According to The Stronach Group and 1/ST, for the first time the David F. Woods Memorial Award will include television and multimedia and internet submissions. The deadline for entries is Monday, April 16. Recipients of the David F. Woods and Jerry Frutkoff Award will be honored at the Alibi Breakfast Thursday, May 16 at Pimlico. The Alibi Breakfast, first convened in the late 1930s, features a gathering of media, owners, trainers, breeders, jockeys, and celebrities to celebrate the Preakness and solicit interesting and humorous race predictions. Preakness 149 will be contested Saturday, May 18. Along with the Woods and Frutkoff Awards, the Maryland Jockey Club will recognize the recipient of the Old Hilltop Award, a tribute to selected media members who have covered Thoroughbred racing with excellence and distinction; and a Special Award of Merit will be given for making a positive impact on the racing industry. Submissions for the Woods Award must include an attachment or link of the story, name of publication (newspaper, magazine, online) and date. Submissions for the Frutkoff Award must include an attachment of the image as well as the media outlet it appeared. Submissions can be sent to david.joseph@marylandracing.com.