Rampellini named winner of NTWAB's Walter Haight Award

Mary Rampellini, the longtime correspondent for Daily Racing Form who passed away on July 4, was named the 2026 winner of the Walter Haight Award for career excellence in turf writing by the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters.

Rampellini will be honored at the 66th NTWAB annual awards dinner at Malone's Prime in Lexington, Ky,, on Oct. 28, just days before the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland, Oct. 30-31. In addition to Rampellini, other winners being recognized at the dinner include Team Golden Tempo, the Mr. Fitz Award; jockey John Velazquez, the Joe Palmer Award; TVG/FanDuel Racing, the Jim McKay Award; and Stable Recovery, the Bill Mooney Award.

Rampellini, who died after a brief illness at 53, was DRF's reporter covering racing in Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, and other circuits around the country for the past 25 years. Admired around the backstretch and on the front side, she was born into a racing life, being the daughter of respected horseman Ralph Rampellini. She joins a long roster of previous Haight Award winners from DRF.

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The Mr. Fitz Award, typifying the spirit of racing, goes to Kentucky Derby and Belmont winner Golden Tempo's connections, which include co-owners Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable, trainer Cherie DeVaux, and jockey Jose Ortiz. DeVaux became the first female trainer to win the Derby and was the first female to win two classics.

Velazquez is being recognized with the Palmer Award, not only for a distinguished career which has seen him ride at the top of the game for 35 years, winning over 6,800 races, including 22 Breeders Cup victories, but for his work off the racetrack. Velazquez was chairman of the Jockeys' Guild for more than 20 years and also serves on the boards of the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund and the New York Racetrack Chaplaincy, as well as working closely with other racetrack charities.

The McKay Award for excellence in broadcasting is being given to the team at TVG/Fan Duel, which has broadcast racing into homes nearly around the clock since 1999, when it launched as Television Games Network. The network began phasing out its programming earlier this year.

The Bill Mooney Award, named for the late turf writer, is being given to Stable Recovery, initiated by Frank Taylor of Taylor Made Farms and Christian Countzler. The Mooney award is presented to "those who have demonstrated courage in the face of adversity." Stable Recovery has helped dozens of racetrackers suffering from varying forms of addiction and enabled them to recover and find meaningful employment in the racing industry.

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