NTWAB 2021 Award Winners: Photo Essay

From our Annual Awards Dinner held at The Brigantine Del Mar on Nov. 3, 2021, we bring you shots of our award winners and our chief event planner for this wonderful evening.


Dan Smith (left) went to work as a publicist for Del Mar in 1964 and made a lively career there. The Joe Palmer Award was presented to him by Jay Hovdey.



Lenny Shulman was named to receive the Walter Haight Award, which was presented by Frank Angst. Lenny couldn't be at the dinner and addressed the crowd via phone.



Steve Byk was honored with the Jim McKay Award for his prodigious radio work covering all things Thoroughbred racing. The photo includes the charity for whom NTWAB made a donation at Steve's request. Rick Hammerle made the presentation. Donations were made on behalf of all the major award winners.




Mike Shear was on hand to help us honor his dad, John Shear, who was the Santa Anita paddock captain for decades. Gary Mandella riveted the assembled when he told about the Mr. Fitz Award winner, now age 100, saving a 5-year-old girl from an out-of-control horse in the Santa Anita paddock 10 years ago, and later cheerful while hospitalized with a dozen injuries.



Bob Ehalt and Alicia Hughes were the 2021 NTWAB writing award winners.



Julie Sarno (left) provided great leadership organizing the dinner with Loren Hebel-Osborne, and Jay Sarno (right) generously provided and set up sound for the event.

Photos by Loren Hebel-Osborne


Peter Lurie, with the lights of Del Mar and the occasional train behind him, graciously served as Master of Ceremonies at our dinner.

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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.
May 7, 2025
Two-time Eclipse Award winner and NTWAB past president Tom Law, managing editor of ST Publishing which produces The Saratoga Special and Thisishorseracing.com, has been named recipient of the Old Hilltop Award for covering Thoroughbred racing with excellence and distinction.
By Dick Downey April 25, 2025
With Kentucky Derby week fast approaching, this note serves as a reminder that our upcoming spring NTWAB meeting will take place on Wednesday, April 30, at 11 a.m. ET.
By Dick Downey April 12, 2025
Caton Bredar has been named the recipient of the Charles W. Engelhard Award by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association and Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders.