Tom Law and Bob Ehalt, both members of the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters, earned top honors in the New York Racing Association's ninth annual Joe Hirsch Memorial Writing Contest.
The awards, presented annually by NYRA, honor the best in print and internet coverage of the Belmont Stakes, won last year by Tapwrit.
Law, who is the President of NTWAB, won for "Perfect Script," written for ST Publishing and which examined Tapwrit's journey from a promising $1.2 million yearling purchase to his two-length victory in the Test of the Champion.
Ehalt won for "Epicharis has strong credentials for the Belmont - and that’s a win-win for everyone," published at Thoroughbred Racing Commentary. The entry in the Belmont Stakes of Japan-based Epicharis, unfortunately followed by a race-day scratch caused by a foot issue, made the Belmont the first U.S. Triple Crown race available for simulcast wagering in Japan.
It's the second Joe Hirsch Award for both men. Law won in 2015 working for ST Publishing, and Ehalt won in 2014 writing for ESPN.com. The award is the third overall for ST Publishing.
Formal presentations will be made on Tuesday, June 5 at Citi Field just before the post position draw for the 150th Belmont Stakes.
The awards are named in honor of Joe Hirsch, the longtime executive sports columnist for Daily Racing Form who died Jan. 9, 2009.
NTWAB members have been recognized with the Joe Hirsch Award many times since its inception.
Past recipients include Dave Grening of DRF and NTWAB member Bob Fortus of the New Orleans Times-Picayune in 2010; Ed Fountaine of the New York Post and NTWAB member Jay Privman of DRF in 2011; NTWAB member Ed McNamara of Newsday and Todd Simmons of the Staten Island Advance in 2012; Mike MacAdam of The Daily Gazette of Schenectady, N.Y., and NTWAB member Claire Novak, writing for ESPN.com in 2013; NTWAB member Nicole Russo of DRF in 2014; NTWAB member Alicia Hughes writing for the Lexington Herald-Leader in 2015; NTWAB member Joe Clancy of ST Publishing and Richard Rosenblatt of The Associated Press in 2016; and Privman and McNamara in 2017.
Law's story can be viewed here, and Ehalt's story here.
By Dick Downey for NTWAB
