It was the war-weary summer of 1944 when a mysterious dark-haired pixie, barely 4-foot-10 in heels, asserted herself as a towering presence at the Rockingham Park wagering windows.

The petite stranger, perhaps in her 30s, fancied large show bets on heavy favorites in short fields. She arrived inconspicuously and placed her wagers discreetly – or as unobtrusively as possible considering that she tied up high-denomination windows by sliding fat stacks of hundreds across the counter until the race went off.

NBC Sports, HRTV, and the photographer Jamie Radosevich-Hernandez were all announced as winners of 2013 Media Eclipse Awards by the organizers of the awards on Thursday.

Radosevich-Hernandez, 28, was selected for a photo of Wise Dan shot from the infield at Churchill Downs when the 2012 Horse of the Year was approaching the finish line of the Firecracker Handicap on the night of June 29. It was raining at the time, and the raindrops created a snow-like effect on the image.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – For two years, Juan Carlos Guerrero was front and center, winning races in bushels at Parx Racing, where he was the leading trainer in 2011 after missing that distinction by one victory in 2010.

But things have changed drastically for Guerrero, who after being banned for 10 years from Parx now takes on a behind-the-scenes role in a stable that has dropped out of the limelight.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Aqueduct canceled Friday’s nine-race card due to a winter storm that brought six to 10 inches of snow to the metropolitan area late Thursday before tapering off Friday morning. It is the second cancellation of the winter meet.

Also, Aqueduct and Belmont Park were closed for simulcasting on Friday. Wagering on out-of-state tracks was available through NYRA Rewards via online or the telephone.

A snowstorm expected to hit central Pennsylvania early Thursday afternoon caused the cancellation of Thursday night’s live racing program at Penn National Race Course. Racing is scheduled to resume Friday with first post time of 6 p.m. Eastern.

STICKNEY, Ill. – Betting on races at Hawthorne continued a long-term decline, with all sources average daily handle at a meet that ended Dec. 29 falling 5 percent compared with the fall-winter meet in 2012.

FLORENCE, Ky. – It hasn’t been glamorous, but hard work and dedication have made Kim Hammond a success on the blue-collar racing circuits of the Midwest.

Hammond’s destiny was that of a bust-ass backstretcher of Midwestern American racetracks, a person defined simply by her willingness to put in long hours to see what ends the means achieve. Now 56 and nearing her 35th year as a trainer, Hammond is on the threshold of becoming the first female trainer of Thoroughbreds to win 2,000 races in North America, a number that may impress some onlookers, but not her.

With a two-day carryover of $93,867 and a must-pay situation in order to close the books on 2013, an additional $529,893 was poured into the final pick six pool of the year on New Year’s Eve at Aqueduct.

The opening leg, race 4, was won by second choice Sustainable ($6.90), followed by odds-on favorites Moments Notiz ($3.70) and Frost Jordan ($3.90). Things got tougher through the second half of the super-exotic wager when Eye Luv Lulu ($16), Cease ($11), and Tycoon Cat ($18.20) prevailed.

Carmine Donofrio, the state steward at New York Racing Association tracks for the past 14 years, officially retired from his post, effective with the close of racing Tuesday.

Donofrio, a former jockey and onetime exercise rider for the immortal Dr. Fager, has been involved in Thoroughbred racing for more than half a century.

The finalists in the 17 Eclipse Award categories for champion horses and humans will be announced live on HRTV on Jan. 8 at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, the organizers of the awards announced Monday.

Finalists in each of the categories include the top three recipients of votes from the three voting blocs that determine the award winners. The broadcast announcing the finalists will last 30 minutes, the announcers said.

HRTV, which is owned by a partnership of Churchill Downs Inc. and the Stronach Group, is available on Dish Network and some cable affiliates.