NEWSLETTERS

Newsletter dated April 21, 2009

NTWA Newsletter from President
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Good afternoon fellow Turf writers!

I hope this note finds everyone well and in the midst of readying to travel to Louisville for the 135th Kentucky Derby on May 2 at Churchill Downs. There is a lot of ground to cover, including updates on our semi-annual meeting, elections, dues, membership, and several other items of importance so I’ll get right to it.

MEETING: The NTWA will conduct its semi-annual meeting at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 30 in the auxiliary press center. Among the topics of discussion will be our elections (see below), new members, the 50th annual NTWA awards dinner, the NTWA operating budget, charitable contributions for 2009, and other matters.
We are going to attempt to have representatives of Churchill Downs on hand to discuss any access-related, parking, shuttle bus, or other issues Turf writers encountered or will encounter during Derby week.

ELECTIONS: The officer positions of president (Tom Law), vice president (Tom Pedulla) and secretary/treasurer (Ed DeRosa) are in the middle of their two-year terms, but board members positions will again be up for election at the upcoming meeting. Three two-year board member terms (Jill Williams, Vic Zast, and Kevin Modesti) expire at the April 30 meeting.
Any and all of these individuals are welcome to be nominated to serve the organization again. Other members in good standing are also welcome to step forward. Please send along any suggestions for individuals you feel would serve the organization in a positive way.
If you are interested, or would like to suggest another member, please feel free to contact me (TLaw@thoroughbredtimes.com) or Ed DeRosa (EDeRosa@thoroughbredtimes.com).

DUES: Thank you to the following members who have paid their 2009 dues. Attached is a separate document indicating everyone who has paid his/her 2009 dues. If you have any questions, please contact Secretary Ed DeRosa. EDeRosa@ThoroughbredTimes.com or (859)260-9800.

 

MEMBERSHIP: Speaking of membership, our organization currently has 190 Regular, Associate, or Honorary members. We consider new members at our semi-annual meetings, and I encourage anyone interesting in becoming a member or sponsoring someone interested in joining the NTWA to have the appropriate information in to Secretary/Treasurer Ed DeRosa by Wednesday, April 29. The NTWA board and officers will consider new member applications at a meeting prior to the general membership meeting on April 30.
The rules for membership are listed below:
“MEMBERSHIP in this association is open to any individual who is actively engaged in writing on Thoroughbred racing. A regular review of membership may be conducted to ensure members still qualify on the basis under which they were initially admitted. Ineligible for regular membership are those whose primary occupation is either racetrack official or photographer.
There shall be three classifications of membership in this association: (a) Regular Members: Working Turf writers duly elected with the above qualifications; (b) Associate Members: Persons who are associated with the coverage of Thoroughbred racing but who are not eligible for a regular membership, including former Regular Members who are now retired; (c) Honorary Members: Persons who have made significant contributions to racing or Turf journalism may be elected to honorary membership at the annual spring meeting and shall be entitled to wear the NTWA button.
Past presidents are considered Regular Members, provided their membership is in good standing. Associate Members shall have Association privileges and benefits, including the right to vote for NTWA Awards, officers and directors, and other Association matters, but shall be ineligible to vote for Eclipse Awards. Honorary Members shall have Association privileges and benefits but shall be eligible to vote only for NTWA Awards.
APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP can be submitted to the Secretary/Treasurer at any time. The prospective member shall state name, affiliation(s), years with affiliation(s), years covering racing and include two references from current Regular Members. Applications will be reviewed by the Board of Directors prior to the regularly scheduled membership meetings at the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup. The Board of Directors may disqualify any applicant it feels does not meet the criteria for membership. The Board of Directors will in turn submit the roster of approved applicants to the general membership at either the Kentucky Derby or Breeders’ Cup meeting. If any member disputes the qualifications of an applicant, the membership must vote on whether or not the applicant meets the criteria as specified in paragraph I. If there are no objections raised to any of the applicants approved by the Board of Directors, all applicants shall be granted membership.
DUES for Regular and Associate Members shall be established by the Association and are payable by March 15 of each year. Honorary Members shall not be required to pay dues. No Regular Member shall be considered in good standing and entitled to vote in Association matters or for the Eclipse Awards unless his dues in full, including previous years, are paid by March 15 of the current year. Any Regular Member or Associate Member who fails to pay dues after a written delinquency notification shall be subject to expulsion upon a vote of the Board of Directors.
EXPULSION of any member of this Association for conduct not in the best interest of racing or this Association may be effected by a two-thirds vote of those Regular Members present at any regular meeting of the Association, providing such person has been given two weeks’ notice and has been offered the opportunity to present a defense at such meeting.
Any member may resign from the association by giving written notice of such to the Secretary.

BREEDERS’ CUP WRITING AWARDS: Jim Gluckson confirmed on April 21 that “Breeders’ Cup Ltd. will be re-establishing the Breeders' Cup Writing Awards this year. We will have two categories—Newspaper and Magazine—The Joe Hirsch Award for outstanding newspaper writing and the Bill Leggett Award for outstanding magazine writing.” Jim says Breeders’ Cup will provide specific entry information to all journalists wishing to submit articles from the 2008 Breeders’ Cup for consideration. The awards are presented at the NTWA Awards Dinner during Breeders’ Cup.
Please note that the awards were discontinued briefly due to a lack of participation by journalists, so I encourage you and anyone else you may know who covers the Breeders’ Cup that might not be a member to submit an entry. Aside from the Eclipse Awards and a few others, there are not too many other opportunities to be recognized within the industry for coverage of racing.

THREE CHIMNEYS MEDIA EVENT: Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Kentucky, sent along a note alerting everyone in the area for the Kentucky Derby that the farm will be hosting a media event on Thursday, April 30 from 11 a.m. to noon. Details of the media event are listed below:

Derby Week Media Event to Visit
Three Chimneys Farm and View the Stallions
WHO: Media personnel
WHAT: Derby week media event to view/photograph the stallions and speak with farm personnel. 
WHERE: Three Chimneys Farm Stallion Division, 1981 Old Frankfort Pike, Lexington, KY 40383
WHEN: Thursday, April 30th, 2009 from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
DETAILS:  Three Chimneys Farm is hosting a Derby week media event to showcase the farm’s stallions, including Derby winners Big Brown and Smarty Jones; Derby winner-sire Dynaformer (sire of Barbaro); and Sky Mesa, sire of Derby hopefuls General Quarters (winner of the Blue Grass S.) and Terrain (Grade 3 winner and third place finisher in the Louisiana Derby). Three Chimneys personnel, including Case Clay (President), Sandy Hatfield (Stallion Manager), Ann Hayes (Tour Director), and Jen Roytz (Marketing and Communications Director), as well as others, will be on hand to answer questions and assist the media in any way possible.
Directly after the media open house will be Three Chimneys Farm’s annual public open house from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.  Hundreds, if not thousands, of fans from around the country attend this event each year to see their favorite racing starts-turned stallions.  The media is welcome to stay and cover the public open house, as it is expected to be a well attended event.

FLYNN FUNDRAISER: Joan Lawrence of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association sent along a note for those interested in a Preakness Day fundraiser on May 16 at Belmont Park for longtime horsemen’s advocate Bob Flynn. Flynn, who spent his entire professional career at the New York Racing Association and New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, was recently diagnosed with Frontotemporal Dementia, commonly referred to in the medical field as FTD, a rare brain disease. There is no known treatment that can stop or reverse FTB. Flynn is unable to work and will soon require 24-hour care. To make a donation or to attend on May 16, contact the following: Mary Hauswald, mhauswald@nyrainc.com; Cathy Marino, cmarino205@aol.com; Nancy Kelly, nkelly@jockeyclub.com’ or Janet Reid, jreid@nyrainc.com.

FAREWELL AND GOOD LUCK: Many of you probably received a note but just in case you did not I’m passing along some remarks from longtime New York Racing Association publicist John Lee, who will leave NYRA at the end of the Aqueduct meeting on Sunday, April 26. In addition to his role at NYRA and a friend to many Turf writers, John served his profession with honor as president of the Turf Publicists of America from 2005 to ’06.
John writes:
“I'm about to wrap-up my marathon run here at the New York Racing Association, as my last day as Director of Communications coincides with the end of the Aqueduct racing season on April 26.
I've enjoyed promoting thoroughbred racing, the horses, jockeys, trainers, the tracks and especially the Belmont Stakes and the Saratoga season, and was gratified to find a receptive audience among so many members of the media.
Now I’m looking to put my communications and public relations experience to work in a new venue, and may be reaching out to you for an assist as I transition from NYRA. Below you'll see my email so we can keep in touch after April 26.
All the best,
John (johnleemedia@gmail.com)

 

As always, I am willing to discuss these and any other issues at any time. I plan to be in Louisville at various points during the week and am always available via email at tlaw@thoroughbredtimes.com, my office at 859-260-9800 ext. 125, or on my cell phone at 859-396-9407. Thanks for your time, enjoy the Kentucky Derby.

Tom Law
NTWA President

April 21, 2009

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