ST Publishing Managing Editor Tom Law is one of the winners of the New York Racing Association’s sixth annual Joe Hirsch Memorial Writing Award contest in the wrap-up category for his coverage of the 2014 Belmont Stakes.
Law won for his story titled “Good sports, bad sports” that appeared June 9 on ST Publishing’s website thisishorseracing.com.
The piece highlighted the sportsmanship displayed by owner Ed Stanco and trainer Bill Mott after the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps compared to what unfolded in the immediate moments after Tonalist upset the Belmont Stakes and denied California Chrome the Triple Crown.
Law, who works out of his native Saratoga Springs, N.Y., joined ST Publishing in December 2013 after a lengthy stint at Thoroughbred Times in Lexington.
The president of the National Turf Writers And Broadcasters from 2006 to 2012, Law previously earned the Eclipse Award in the Multimedia/Internet category for his and Gregory Charkoudian’s coverage of the 2011 Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs. He is also a two-time winner of the Bill Leggett Breeders’ Cup Writing Award and the winner of the Red Smith Kentucky Derby Writing Award.
The awards are named in honor of the late Joe Hirsch, the respected longtime executive columnist for Daily Racing Form and founder of the National Turf Writers Association who retired in 2003 after a 50-year career covering racing.
Alicia Wincze Hughes of the Lexington Herald-Leader is the other winner for her feature story leading up to the race which profiled Art Sherman’s son and assistant Alan Sherman, who oversaw Triple Crown hopeful California Chrome’s preparations for the “Test of the Champion.”
Previous winners include Jay Privman, David Grening and Nicole Russo of Daily Racing Form, Bob Fortus of the New Orleans Times-Picayune and Bob Ehalt of ESPN.com.
The winners will receive their awards on June 3 at Rockefeller Center during the official draw for the 147th running of the Belmont Stakes and American Pharoah’s bid to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed swept the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont in 1978.
Follow Tom on Twitter @SaratogaTL
