My Fellow NTWAB members, 

I look forward to seeing many of you at Churchill Downs for the Derby in about five weeks.

Our spring NTWAB meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 29, at 11 a.m. ET in the press conference area at Churchill Downs. Members attending in person are welcome to join us on-site, and a Zoom option will be available for those unable to travel.

This spring, we have numerous terms expiring, including those of all our officers (president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary), as well as board positions currently held by Nicole Russo, Carlos Morales, and Sara Gordon. We will open the floor for officer nominations, then elections, and finally for those three board positions. 

If you are interested in serving, please let me or any officer/director know. Some directors may choose to run for re-election or not, though I suspect many will. We welcome the submission of anyone interested in serving the NTWAB.

Beyond that information, here are a few updates:

To promote transparency, the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters is again sharing how its members voted for the top selection in each Eclipse Award category. Please see the attached chart in a PDF format.

Regarding the Eclipse Awards, the board commends the membership for its strong and timely participation in this year’s voting. 138 of 144 authorized NTWAB voters (95.8%) submitted ballots, exceeding the overall 92% turnout across all three voting blocs.

We also extend our thanks to those organizations hosting interns this year: The Saratoga Special, BloodHorse, Daily Racing Form, the New York Racing Association’s television production with FOX featuring Saratoga Live, Maryland Horse Breeders and its affiliated publications, NBC, Horse Racing Happy Hour, Paulick Report, and Agentes 305. Your commitment to developing the next generation of equine journalists is greatly appreciated. With matching support from The Jockey Club, the NTWAB is proud to co-fund these opportunities.

In that same spirit, we recognize board member and broadcaster Scott Hazelton for speaking earlier this month with students in the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program. A recap of his visit, written by student Tashua Spiess, is available online. You’ll find it an enjoyable read. Thank you, Scott, for your time and efforts! Carlos Morales and I also plan to visit the program in the coming year. If you are interested in speaking with students at any college or university, please let us know—sharing the experiences of a turf writer or broadcaster may encourage some young people to pursue our profession.

Looking ahead, the Breeders’ Cup returns to Keeneland Oct. 30–31. Our annual awards dinner will return on Wednesday evening, Oct. 28, to Malone’s Prime in Lexington. They did a great job hosting us when the Breeders’ Cup was last at Keeneland. We hope you will make plans to join us.

A detailed agenda for the April 29 meeting will be circulated in advance. Planned topics include the annual membership review, new member applications, follow-up from the 2025 Eclipse Awards, and Triple Crown logistics. If there is an item you would like added to the agenda, please contact NTWAB Secretary Jennifer Kelly at thesirbarton@gmail.com.

Finally, if you know someone who may be a strong candidate for membership—or have a colleague within your organization who qualifies—please encourage them to apply. Applicants should submit a letter of interest along with two letters of recommendation to Jennifer Kelly at thesirbarton@gmail.com by April 22.

All the best,

Byron King
NTWAB President
March 27, 2026