DRF's Hovdey wins fourth writing award

Jay Hovdey, the executive columnist for Daily Racing Form, will receive the for writing in the news or commentary category for a series of tributes to the late Hall of Fame jockey Bill Shoemaker, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association announced Thursday.

Two other media awards were announced on Thursday. William Nack, a freelance writer, will receive the Eclipse for feature or enterprise writing for an article on trainer Bob Baffert that appeared in Gentleman's Quarterly.

In addition, Frank Anderson, a staff photographer for the Lexington Herald-Leader, won the Eclipse for photography with a shot that appeared in the Thoroughbred Times showing a loose horse about to hurdle injured jockey Patti Cooksey at Keeneland.

Nack and Hovdey are both much-honored writers. The 2003 Eclipse will be Nack's seventh, a record, and Hovdey will receive his fourth.

Hovdey's columns appeared in the Oct. 15, Oct. 17, and Oct. 24 issues of Daily Racing Form, following the death of Shoemaker on Oct. 12 at the age of 72. "I wanted these columns to be my personal tribute to Bill as a racing fan and as a journalist," Hovdey said.

Nack's article, which appeared in the May issue of GQ, detailed the early life and career of Bob Baffert, including Baffert's family in Nogales, Ariz. "This was an article that was fun to do," Nack said. "I wanted to plow some unplowed ground with Bob and learn about his early days."

The awards will be presented on Jan. 26 in Florida at a ceremony honoring all the Eclipse champions in 2003.