President's Breeders' Cup Newsletter

Good morning. A couple notes as we inch closer to next week’s 63rd annual NTWAB Annual Awards Dinner, general membership meeting and of course the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park. Hopefully you’ll be making the trip for all of the above. If not, you’ll be able to join the meeting via Zoom and the link below.


The membership meeting will include a visit from HISA’s Lisa Lazarus, HIWU’s Ben Mosier and communications team members from both organizations. We extended the invitation for HISA/HIWU to attend our meeting to address some concerns regarding transparency and their protocol (or lack of) when dealing with the media. As always, the meeting will be informational and off-the-record. Those concerns surfaced late in the Saratoga season and after several conversations with HISA we’ve arranged to have them as a guest at the meeting.

The meeting will also include an update from the NTWAB membership review committee, membership applications, follow-up from the awards dinner and any other items of business. If you’d like specific issues to be added to the agenda, please let me or NTWAB Secretary Jennifer Kelly know in advance of the meeting. We’re working with the Santa Anita and Breeders’ Cup communications teams for a meeting location. A complete agenda and meeting location will be sent next week. 

If you would like to join us via Zoom, please use this link

Please remember that the Awards Dinner will be at the Altadena Town & Country Club, 2290 Country Club Drive in Altadena. Cocktails at 6 p.m., dinner at 6:30 with awards presentations to follow. We will have our five awards and the Breeders’ Cup Writing Awards to present.

From the Breeders’ Cup: Please note that this link to the Media Center on BreedersCup.com contains the replay of Wednesday’s National Media Pre-Entry Teleconference with Aidan O’Brien, Kelly Dorman, Jena Antonucci, Richard Mandella and Tom Robbins, Chairman of the Breeders’ Cup Racing Directors/Secretaries Panel. Click on “Notes.” There is also a link to the workout towel identification key for horses pre-entered in the World Championships.

Thanks for your time and see you in California.


Tom Law
NTWAB President
October 27, 2023

The 2025 Eclipse Awards: It's Official

January 23, 2026
Cutting to the chase, and to the surprise of almost no one, the HORSE OF THE YEAR is SOVEREIGNTY. Other finalists were Forever Young and Journalism. Congratulations!

Media Eclipse Award Winners Announced

January 8, 2026
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters today announced the winners of the 2025 Media Eclipse Awards in six categories. Every entry must have been primarily published or aired for the first time between November 16, 2024, and November 14, 2025.

2025 Eclipse Awards Finalists Announced

January 4, 2026
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB) today announced the finalists for the 2025 Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards, recognizing excellence through the past year in Thoroughbred racing.

NTWAB, The Jockey Club to Co-Fund Record Nine Media Internships in 2026

December 26, 2025
The National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB), with matching financial support from The Jockey Club, has agreed to support a record nine internship applications at horse racing media outlets in 2026, by far the largest group funded since the program began in 2023.

NTWAB Notes from the President

December 4, 2025
It was great seeing so many of you at Del Mar for the 2025 Breeders’ Cup and during our annual NTWAB Awards Dinner and our general membership meeting during Breeders’ Cup week.

National Turf Writers and Broadcasters Announces Expansion of Internship Funding for 2026

December 2, 2025
The National Turf Writers and Broadcasters with matching financial support from The Jockey Club, today announced a substantial expansion of its internship funding program for equine media outlets in 2026. Both organizations have authorized contributions of up to $12,000 each, co-funding potentially eight paid internships designed to bolster staffing in horse racing media and foster the next generation of equine journalists.

NTWAB Annual Awards Dinner Honors Luck, Andersen, Harper, Ouzts

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.

Letter from the President: Breeders' Cup on the Horizon

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.

2025 Media Eclipse Awards Rules

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.

Bill Christine, Former NTWAB President, Dead at 87

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.