LEXINGTON, Ky. (January 6, 2022) ―The National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters today announced the winners of the 2021 Media Eclipse Awards in six categories.
The 2021 Media Eclipse Award winners are as follows:
Feature/Commentary Writing – Sandra McKee, Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred, “A Jockey’s Life. Baltimore’s Adams Set Riding Record in 1930”; June 2021.
News/Enterprise Writing – Eric Mitchell, Bloodhorse.com, “Tracks Join Rallying Cry to End Cargo Shipping”; Aug. 24, 2021.
Television – Live Racing Programming – NBC Sports, “The Breeders’ Cup World Championships,” Nov. 6, 2021 on NBC; Billy Matthews and Lindsay Schanzer, Producers.
Television – Features – NBC Sports “Hot Rod Charlie,” April 30, 2021 on NBCSN; Sam Flood, Executive Producer; Rob Hyland, Coordinating Producer; Jack Felling, Coordinating Producer; David Picker, Senior Feature Producer and Annie Koeblitz, Producer.
Audio/Multi-Media Internet – Attheraces.com “Breeders’ Cup Magical Moments,” Oct. 25, 2021; Matthew Taylor, Director of New Media and Innovation; Peter Fornatale, writer and interviewer and Naomi Tukker, interviewer.
Photography – Jeff Faughender, courier-journal.com (Louisville Courier-Journal); “Between the Shadows,” May 1, 2021.
Media Eclipse Award winners will be presented their trophies at the 51st Annual Eclipse Awards Ceremony and Dinner at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California on Thursday, Feb. 10. Eclipse Award ticket information is available at the NTRA website https://www.ntra.com/eclipse-awards/.
Feature/Commentary Writing – Sandra McKee
On Sept. 12, 1930, 16-year-old apprentice rider Albert Adams set the world record for most consecutive wins by a jockey with nine when he guided Wandering Jim, who had won a race for him just two days before, to victory at Marlboro Race Track in Maryland. Writing in the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred, Sandra McKee brought Adams’ story of a boy with great character, who battled against crooked stables that cost him his career, back into the spotlight in “A Jockey’s Life. Baltimore’s Adams Set Riding Record in 1930.” The article earned McKee, from Baltimore, her first Media Eclipse Award.
“I wanted to win this award for so long,” said McKee, who has been a contributing writer to the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred for the past eight years, following a 36-year career as a sports writer for the Baltimore Evening Sun and the Baltimore Sun. “Over the years, all the horse racing writers at The Sun wanted to win an Eclipse Award. And then I followed Tom Keyser on the beat. Tom won the Eclipse Award three times in four years. To say I was motivated is an understatement. And now, to be chosen 10 years after leaving The Sun, is unbelievable. I’m very excited to be in the company of all the talented people who have won this award. It is a great honor.”
The Adams legacy was kept alive by his descendants, especially Ed Adams, the great nephew of Albert Adams, who died in 1970. Ed Adams contacted Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred and when Editor Joe Clancy heard of it, he offered the story to McKee.
“I got the pleasure of getting to know Albert Adams by getting out the biggest magnifying glass I could find to pore over old newspapers,” said McKee. “Ed Adams had a big thick notebook of clippings from the 1930s. Ed’s cousin Judy Adams, remembers Albert clearly and recalled his descriptive recollections, his laugh and personality.”
As McKee recounts, Adams’ winning streak was heralded among other great records in sports of the day. “It was a glorious moment, celebrated by local newspapers and various racing publications around the world. Adams was commemorated in Ripley’s Believe It or Not. A sports headline compared him to New York Yankee great Lou Gehrig. Illustrated sports cartoons measured him against Indianapolis 500 champion Ralph DePalma, who competed in more than 1,500 auto races, and New York Giants ace pitcher Art Nehf, who won the deciding games of back-to-back World Series (1921 and 1922).”
However, as Albert Adams became more successful, and gained mounts from trainers at larger stables, he was ordered to hold back horses, which was clearly opposite of his “ride to win” philosophy. So much so that when he disobeyed instructions to lose on purpose, he was subjected to suspensions by those stables. “The groundings, basically for wanting to ride an honest race, had taken their toll. By the end of the 1934 season his riding career was over.”
Still Adams went on with his life. He continued to gallop horses and worked to find mounts for younger jockeys. In World War II, he served as an infantry sergeant in the 29th Division in the Pacific. Following the war, he worked in an automobile assembly plant for five years before taking a job with the Baltimore Sanitation Department. “On his days off, he still enjoyed going to the races and he rooted for the young jockeys who took aim at his nine-in-a-row record.”
Judges in the Feature/Commentary category were Bob Kieckhefer, racing writer for United Press International; Bill Kolberg, former assistant director of publicity at Santa Anita and Del Mar and published author on Thoroughbred racing; and Rob Longley, sports columnist, who first covered the Triple Crown in both Canada and the U.S. in 1996 and is currently baseball columnist for the Toronto Sun.
The winning article can be viewed here.
News/Enterprise – Eric Mitchell
In “Tracks Join Rallying Cry to End Cargo Shipping,” Eric Mitchell investigated the deplorable conditions of racehorses shipped by boat in steel container boxes from the United States to Puerto Rico, and the response of American racetracks to this much-criticized practice. The article was published on Aug. 24, 2021.
This is the first Media Eclipse Award for Mitchell, from Lexington, Kentucky, who is the BloodHorse bloodstock editor and a 21-year veteran at the publication.
“I’m obviously thrilled by this honor,” said Mitchell on winning an Eclipse Award. “More important, though, I hope this brings awareness to the issue. It is a topic I have written about for a couple of years, talking to a number of people in the U.S. and Puerto Rico who are keen to see more pressure and attention to make it stop.”
Mitchell became aware of this inhumane shipping practice in April 2019 when he got a call from Kim Heath of Ocala, Fla., about nine horses that had tragically died during one shipment from the Port of Jacksonville. He began following the issue and getting more information on the toll this journey takes on the horses, long after they have arrived in Puerto Rico. This year, Thoroughbred racing in Puerto Rico became more attractive due to substantial bonus incentives in its purse programs, which in turn drove more owners to claim inexpensive horses in the U.S. and ship them by cargo ship.
In this piece, Mitchell described the typically treacherous voyage lasting three days, as horses are first loaded in Jacksonville but remain in loaded and cramped conditions on a ship for hours before the journey even begins across the Caribbean Sea. “These horses then get trucked to the Port of Jacksonville, where they are loaded onto a TOTE Maritime ship, which does not leave the port until 3 a.m. Wednesday and will arrive around midnight on Thursday. The horses stay on the boat until mid-Friday morning because the longshoremen don’t start unloading until 9 a.m.”
While many horses survive the trip, they often later suffer a variety of illnesses caused by dehydration, stress during shipping, and unsanitary conditions of the shipping container. Many develop pleural pneumonia or laminitis and are euthanized weeks after shipping in. The flood horses in Puerto Rico also overwhelmed the resources of Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare.
A groundswell of support from horsemen and racing organizations coalesced last August led by Caesars Entertainment’s Indiana Grand and 1/ST Racing (Stronach Group tracks), which pledged to ban horsemen from their tracks who shipped horses to Puerto Rico by container ship. The Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association and New York Thoroughbred Breeders Association also followed with denunciation of the practice.
Mitchell said many people helped him follow this story but particular recognition goes to Dr. Jose Garcia Blanco, a veterinarian and bloodstock agent who buys for the Confederación Hípica of Puerto Rico, the largest of the island’s two Thoroughbred owners’ organizations; Kelley Stobie, co-founder and Chief Financial Officer of Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare and Eduardo Maldonado, a leading Puerto Rican breeder and former executive director and president of the Puerto Rico Breeders Association.
The winning article can be accessed here.
Honorable mention in the News /Commentary category went to 2015 Media Eclipse Award winner Tim Sullivan for “Kentucky Derby Steward Finally Tells All About Stunning Maximum Security Disqualification,” which was published in the Louisville Courier-Journal on April 22, 2021.
Judges in the News/Enterprise category were: Tom LaMarra, Director of Communications and Backstretch Services for the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association. Amy Owens, Communications Associate at Keeneland; and David Papadopoulos, a senior editor at Bloomberg News.
Television – Live Racing Programming – NBC Sports
For the second consecutive year, NBC Sports has won the Eclipse Award for Live Television Programming for its broadcast of the $6 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic on NBC and Peacock , rising to the finish of its live two-day coverage of the 38th Breeders’ Cup World Championships from picturesque Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California.
Continuing to provide its audience with technical innovations and multiple viewing opportunities, NBC Sports employed unique perspectives from the track with access to approximately 75 video sources, including multiple live jockey cams and jockey and trainer/owner mics; and jockey cams connecting to real-time data that allowed viewers to see graphic overlays on replays, including speed, current position, distance from the leader, and distance from the finish. For individual access to the horses, NBC Sports utilized Breeders’ Cup Contender Cams, featuring 14 paddock ISO cameras and 10 front-side ISO roof cameras.
“It was a privilege to present the greatest two days in horse racing — the Breeders’ Cup World Championships — all culminating in the Breeders’ Cup Classic,” said Lindsay Schanzer, NBC Sports producer, Breeders’ Cup. “As always, this production was a real team effort, and it is a tribute to the entire NBC Sports group, along with the incredible collaboration between our partners at both the Breeders’ Cup and TVG, that we were able to give viewers the most comprehensive Championships coverage yet. We kicked things off with an entertaining open by world-renowned chef (and 2021 Breeders’ Cup winner!) Bobby Flay, balanced highlighting the beautiful scene at Del Mar as well as the wide range of storylines in the final race of the Championships, and capped it all off with an unforgettable race won by best-in-class champion Knicks Go. We are so proud of the final product, and look forward to bringing many more Breeders’ Cups to audiences for years to come.”
In addition to Schanzer, the production team was led by producer Billy Matthews and director Kaare Numme. Ron Vaccaro was the editorial producer.
The NBC Sports talent on the broadcast consisted of Ahmed Fareed, Jerry Bailey, Randy Moss, Laffit Pincay III, Nick Luck, Eddie Olczyk, Matt Bernier, Steve Kornacki, Kenny Rice, Donna Brothers, Britney Eurton, Larry Collmus and Maria Taylor.
Judges in the Live Television Programming category were Liz Bronstein, television show runner and executive producer, and creator the Animal Planet 2008-9 series “Jockeys”; Jack Renaud, 33-year producer for CBS News, who began covering racing at local stations in Lexington and Louisville; and Toni Slotkin, Emmy Award-winning producer/associate director at ABC Sports and member of ABC’s Eclipse Award-winning horse racing teams; consulting producer/special projects for MLB Network.
Television Feature – NBC Sports
In setting the scene for one of the more popular Kentucky Derby ownership stories of 2021, NBC Sports produced an Eclipse-Award winning Feature on Boat Racing LLC, five former Brown University football players who became part owners, (along with Roadrunner Racing, William Strauss and Gainesway Stable) of Derby contender Hot Rod Charlie.
NBC Sports chronicled the vitality and sheer joy of Patrick O’Neill, Alex Quoyeser, Daniel Giovacchini, Eric Armagost and Reiley Higgins hitting it big and getting to the coveted Run for the Roses with just their third sales purchase. The feature begins with the Boat Racing team sitting in Adirondack chairs on a lawn in Santa Monica, California, telling their story of staying connected after college graduation. Later, they join Partrick’s uncles, Doug O’Neill, trainer of Hot Rod Charlie, and bloodstock agent Dennis O’Neill, for early morning workouts at Santa Anita Park. The scene shifts next to the TwinSpires Louisiana Derby at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, where the team goes wild with exultation when their beloved “Chuck” crosses the wire first in this key Derby prep race. The journey concludes with the team bounding up to the rail to watch Hot Rod Charlie workout on the Churchill Downs backstretch in eager anticipation of fulfilling Derby dreams, or as reporter Jac Collinsworth deadpanned: “Infusing youth into a sport typically fit for kings.”
“It was an honor to share the story of Hot Rod Charlie with our viewers,” said NBC Senior Feature Producer David Picker. “And what a story it was. In just a few short years, the Boat Racing guys went from college to the Kentucky Derby as owners. And they brought so much enthusiasm to the sport along the way. It’s the kind of story we love to tell on racing’s biggest day.”
In addition to Picker, the NBC production team included Sam Flood, Executive Producer; Rob Hyland, Coordinating Producer; Annie Koeblitz , Producer and narration from Collinsworth.
The winning entry can be viewed here: here.
Judges in the Television Features category were Dick Jerardi, who covered more than three decades of Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup races for Philadelphia Daily News; Kris Kugler, Horse Racing Coverage Producer, ESPN; and Lenny Shulman, Emmy Award-winning writer/producer; author, and senior correspondent for Bloodhorse.
Audio/Multimedia Internet – Attheraces.com and Peter Fornatale
In “Breeders’ Cup Magical Moments,” Matthew Taylor of Attheraces.com, the website for U.K. racing broadcaster Attheraces and Sky Sports, and journalist, author and “In the Money” podcast host Peter Fornatale, present a multimedia display featuring recorded interviews with 17 racing personalities recalling their most memorable moments of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, which has been run consecutively since 1984. The interviews were conducted by Peter Fornatale and Naomi Tukker. The presentation was also supported by text from the subjects and vivid colorful graphics, as well as race replays.
The stories were told from both an American and European perspective. Among the personalities interviewed were renowned racing journalist and author Andy Beyer; handicapper Jonathon Kinchen; Breeders’ Cup winning jockeys Jerry Bailey, Frankie Dettori, Rosie Napranik, Lester Piggott, Mike Smith, Gary Stevens and John Velazquez; trainers D. Wayne Lukas and Aidan O’Brien; broadcasters Kevin Blake, Matt Chapman, Randy Moss and Nick Luck; and Jamaican cricket legend Michael Holding.
“It’s a tremendous honor for us to win this award,” said Taylor, Director of New Media and Innovation for At The Races. “There has been a great interest in American racing in the U.K. during the pandemic, and there is no better way to promote American racing to a European audience than through the Breeders’ Cup. The willingness of the participants we approached to be a part of this was extraordinary. No one raised their hands and said ‘No.’ They were all proud to talk about the Breeders’ Cup as a part of their successful careers.”
“I’m blown away,” said Fornatale, who resides in Brooklyn, N.Y. “Eclipse Awards have been won by so many people and so many horses I’ve admired over the years. To be included among the recipients is just a tremendous honor. From the shed row to the saddle to the stands, we wanted to create a mosaic of great events and memories that captures what makes the Breeders’ Cup so special. I am so proud to work with Matthew, one of my biggest supporters, and also with Naomi, who did a fantastic job with her interviews and was indispensable. This was a team project all the way.”
The winning entry can be viewed: here
Judges in the Audio/Multi-Media Internet category were Glenn Crouter, former lead television anchor for Woodbine Live Network and sports and lifestyle announcer for Newstalk 1010 in Toronto; Bob Curran, longtime Vice President of Corporate Communications for The Jockey Club and graduate of the St. Bonaventure University journalism program; and Julie Sarno, freelance writer, former editorial staff member of The BloodHorse, staff member at The Meadowlands, staff member and Department Head at Del Mar.
Photography – Jeff Faughender
Faughender, from Louisville, Kentucky, has won his first Eclipse Award for a rooftop photograph capturing the entire 20-horse field from the 147th Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve, which was run on May 1, 2021. With the horses racing down the Churchill Downs stretch after the start of the Run for the Roses, Faughender captured the Derby field in between the shadows cast by the famed Twin Spires over the racetrack.
The photograph was published on the Louisville Courier-Journal website. Faughender has been with the Courier-Journal the past 22 years in various capacities, and has worked as a visual journalist since 2017.
“I’m really blown away by it,” Faughender said on winning the Eclipse Award. “I am thrilled beyond words. It’s quite an accomplishment for me and the people who supported me at the Courier-Journal.”
Good fortune from bad luck seemed to smile on Faughender last year in taking the winning Eclipse Award photo. A few weeks before the 2021 Kentucky Derby, Faughender injured his knee playing tennis and asked for a photo assignment that wouldn’t require too much walking. So he was assigned to cover the race from the roof of the racetrack with the focus on shooting the finish.
“I was delighted to get the rooftop assignment,” said Faughender. “I was focused on shooting the finish but also the start of the race. In setting up my shots, I turned to my left. I saw shadows of the spires over the racetrack, and I thought about getting the field in one view.”
Using his Canon 5D Mark IV camera with a Canon 200-400mm f/4 L lens, Faughender caught the Derby start at 6:59 p.m., with an extender, but turned it off to reframe the Twin Spires in shadow as the horses approached the wire for the first time. “I knew that there was a shot to get and I was hoping that the horses would stay together going to the first turn.
“It wasn’t until I got back to the Media Center that I saw it on my computer and said, ‘Yes, I got it.’”
The photo appeared that night on the Courier-Journal website. Faughender also put it on his Facebook page, where it was discovered by fellow Courier-Journal photographer and three-time Eclipse Award Photography winner Michael Clevenger, who praised Faughender’s image and put it on his Facebook page.
“The picture got lots of attention after that, especially from veteran photographers, who had never seen a photo like that,” said Faughender. “Sometimes it takes just one shot.”
The winning photograph can be viewed here.
Honorable Mention in the Photography category went to five-time Eclipse Award winner Barbara Livingston of Daily Racing Form for her photo of France Go da Ina losing his rider Masaki Takano during a pre-Preakness workout on May 12, 2021. The image was posted on DRF.com.
Judges in the category were Mark Abraham, freelance photographer and currently deputy director of the United States Senate Press Photographers’ Gallery; Rob Carr, staff sports photographer with Getty Images; and Mike Kane, veteran Thoroughbred journalist and photographer.
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