Photo Highlights of NTWAB's 59th Annual Awards Dinner

Photos by Paul Rolfes

President Tom Law welcomes a capacity crowd to the venue at 4th Street Live!.

Tom Leach, voice of the Kentucky Wildcats and the event's emcee.

Bob Baffert shares a laugh at the Jockeys' Guild table during cocktail hour.

Jim Gluckson accepts the Joe Palmer Award for meritorious service to racing, presented by Tom Pedulla.
President Law and our event planner, Loren Hebel-Osborne, look on.


Donna Barton Brothers won the Jim McKay Award for Excellence in Broadcasting. Tom Hammond presents.

The irrepressible Marty McGee speaks after being presented with the Walter Haight Award for career excellence in turf writing.

Triple Crown winning jockey Mike Smith, aka Big Money Mike, accepts the Mr. Fitz Award for typifying the spirit of racing.

Martine Bellocq was injured saving horses from fire at San Luis Rey, putting them first.
Accordingly, she received the Bill Mooney Award for courage in the face of adversity.
Remi Bellocq accepts on her behalf from Natalie Voss.


Mark Midland speaks after accepting the Ron Rippey Award for Handicapping Media.

Jay Privman is eloquent as ever after winning two Breeeders Cup writing awards

for news reporting and feature writing.


 


At the dinner, ceremonial checks were presented showing 2018 charitable donations by NTWAB as follows:


Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance; amount $1,000.00; designated by Donna Barton Brothers.


John Asher Scholarship Fund at Western Kentucky University; amount $1,000.00; designated by Marty McGee.


John Asher Scholarship Fund at Western Kentucky University; amount $1,000.00; designated by National Turf Writers and Broadcasters.


Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund; amount $1,000.00; designated by Jim Gluckson.


Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund; amount $1,000.00; designated by Mike Smith.


United Pegasus Foundation; amount $1,000.00; designated by Martine Bellocq.


Kidney Health Alliance of Kentucky; amount $500; designated by Tom Leach.


 


--By Dick Downey for NTWAB

By Dick Downey November 1, 2025
A sold-out crowd attended the 65th edition of the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters Annual Awards Dinner at The Brigantine Del Mar on Oct. 29 where four traditional NTWAB Awards and four Breeders'.Cup Media Awards were presented. Photo array by Skip Dickstein. Narration by Dick Downey with contributions by Byron King.
October 23, 2025
I’m excited to see many of you at our 65th annual NTWAB Annual Awards Dinner on Oct. 29, the next day during our bi-annual general membership meeting Oct. 30 at Del Mar in the auxiliary press box, and during the two-day Breeders’ Cup World Championships Oct. 31-Nov. 1.
October 7, 2025
Lexington, Ky. (Oct. 7, 2025) ─ The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), in conjunction with Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers And Broadcasters today released the guidelines for the 2025 Media Eclipse Awards. The media awards are presented by the NTRA, Daily Racing Form, and the NTWAB in recognition of outstanding achievement in media coverage of Thoroughbred racing.
By Dick Downey September 9, 2025
Bill Christine, a multiple award-winning sports and turf writer and former president of NTWAB, died at age 87.
August 28, 2025
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Breeders’ Cup Limited is proud to announce the addition of two new media awards for exceptional coverage of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, with the Tracy Award for Outstanding Photography and the Tracy Award for Outstanding Videography joining two existing writing awards – the Joe Hirsch Award for Outstanding News Reporting and the Bill Leggett Award for Outstanding Feature Writing.
August 26, 2025
LOUISVILLE, KY (Aug. 26, 2024) 71-year-old Perry Ouzts – who this summer passed Russell Baze for the most rides by a jockey in North American racing history - will be honored along with track executive Joe Harper, turf writer Steve Andersen and broadcaster Nick Luck during the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters’ 65th Annual Awards Dinner on Wednesday, Oct. 29 in Del Mar, Calif.
July 25, 2025
Breeders’ Cup Limited is proud to announce the addition of two new media awards for exceptional coverage of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, with the Tracy Award for Outstanding Photography and the Tracy Award for Outstanding Videography joining two existing writing awards – the Joe Hirsch Award for Outstanding News Reporting and the Bill Leggett Award for Outstanding Feature Writing.
May 28, 2025
The NTWAB general membership meeting was held on Wednesday, April 30, 2025 in the Media Center at Churchill Downs.
May 23, 2025
For those covering the Belmont Stakes, we hope the following information is beneficial. We appreciate NYRA addressing some challenges our membership experienced covering the event last year. They welcomed our feedback.
May 12, 2025
My fellow NTWAB members, i t was great seeing many of you in person and those and others on Zoom at our bi-annual meeting during Derby week.