Eclipse-award winning writer and NTWAB member Joe Clancy will be awarded the David F. Woods Memorial Award for excellence in journalism on Thursday, May 18 at the Alibi Breakfast at Pimlico Race Course.
Clancy, editor of Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred, will be recognized by the Maryland Jockey Club for “Preakness-winning Desormeaux brothers fueled by early days in Maryland,” a feature on Keith and Kent Desormeaux. They were trainer and jockey of 2016 Preakness winner Exaggerator. The story appeared in the July 2016 edition of Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred.
Clancy was also recognized with the David F. Woods Memorial Award in 2015 for his story “Horse of a Lifetime,” a news account of the 2014 Preakness Stakes won by California Chrome. Clancy’s brother, Sean, was the recipient of the David F. Woods Memorial Award in 2014.
The David F. Woods Memorial Award was initiated in 1982 to honor the memory of Dave Woods, a long-time racetrack publicist and Evening Sun columnist.
"The Maryland Jockey Club goes out of its way to pay tribute to quality coverage of the Preakness, and I'm honored to receive the David Woods Award, especially when you look at the previous winners,” Clancy said. “To be listed wth Billy Reed, George Vecsey, Dave Kindred, Bill Christine and all the others is truly a career milestone. Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred is an old-school print magazine, and we couldn't produce it without the support of the Maryland Horse Breeders Association and a great team in the office.
"I never know where a story is going when I start, but the Desormeaux brothers were a compelling part of the 2016 Preakness, and it was fun to find people who remembered Keith and Kent when they were in Maryland. I work with my brother, but I couldn't imagine the feeling of winning the Preakness with him. Kent and Keith were gracious with their time and the other interview subjects helped it all come together."
Along with being editor of Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred, Clancy and his brother own ST Publishing, which produces The Saratoga Special newspaper, thisishorseracing.com and other projects within Thoroughbred racing. Clancy grew up in a racing family and worked in the barn of his father, former Mid-Atlantic-based trainer Joe Clancy Sr., in high school and college.
The Alibi Breakfast, which began in the 1930s on the porch of the historic Pimlico Clubhouse, features a gathering of media, owners, trainers, jockeys, horsemen and fans to celebrate the Preakness, and solicit interesting race predictions. Call for tickets at 877-206-8042.
Edited release
