Charlsie Cantey, Billy Reed named to Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor

Charlsie Cantey and Billy Reed have been named to the prestigious Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor, it was announced Wednesday by the National Museum of Racing in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Cantey, a native of North Carolina, became a broadcasting pioneer in the 1970s as one of the first females to play a major role in telecasts of such showcase events as the Triple Crown and, eventually, the Breeders’ Cup and other major races for CBS, ABC, and other networks. She had a role in approximately two dozen telecasts that won Eclipse Awards during a career that has been acknowledged with numerous other awards over the years.

Reed, a Kentucky native, wrote for newspapers in Lexington and Louisville and also covered racing for such major outlets as Sports Illustrated during a distinguished career spanning more than a half-century. Reed, a three-time Eclipse Award winner and the author of more than a dozen sports books, also has been showered with numerous other awards.

The Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor, named for the longtime Daily Racing Form executive columnist, was established in 2010 to recognize men and women whose careers have been dedicated to, or substantially involved in, covering Thoroughbred racing.