Named in honor of the Hall of Famer after his
passing, Wittstruck will be the fourth recipient of the prestigious award.
When he was notified that he’ll be this
year’s recipient Wittstruck was very pleasantly surprised.
“Receiving this
award is truly an unbelievable honor, albeit an undeserved one,”
Wittstruck said. “First, it is the rare individual who can even be mentioned in
the same breath with Phil Pines. Artist, historian, curator, award-winning
writer and broadcaster, master of ceremonies. Phil was, and is, the
standard against which all harness racing communicators should be judged.
“Second, I am in awe
of those who have quite deservedly received this honor. Past recipients
Moira Fanning, Kelly Young and Bob Heyden are among our sport's top
communicators. Each tirelessly carries on the Pines' tradition every day of
their lives. It's just hard for me to imagine the kid who simply fell in
love with this sport watching Abercrombie pace at Roosevelt Raceway being given
this honor. My heartfelt thanks to the ever-vibrant Monticello-Goshen chapter
for this accolade.”
Wittstruck was a 2005 and 2006 winner of the prestigious John
Hervey Award. His piece, "What's a Rebate?...and Why We All Need to
Care" which appeared in the publication, Hoof Beats, was judged to
be the best magazine article of 2005 in America concerning harness racing.
This same article was cited in the Final Report to the Court of the Federal
Monitor of the New York Racing Association. His article concerning Racehorse
adoption was judged the best piece of 2006.
He writes the monthly "Racing and the Law" column for
the United States Trotting Association and is a director of the Standardbred
Owners Association of New York. Wittstruck is also a member of the New
York City Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association
("USHWA") and he was named the 2006 National "USHWAn of the
Year."
As a regular presenter at the Albany Law School Racing and Gaming Program's Saratoga Institute, Wittstruck has lectured on legal issues involving racehorse ownership at Hofstra University in New York and Rutgers University in New Jersey, as well as for The Suffolk County Bar Association. He is a contributor of treatises on critical legal issues regarding the racing industry.
As a regular presenter at the Albany Law School Racing and Gaming Program's Saratoga Institute, Wittstruck has lectured on legal issues involving racehorse ownership at Hofstra University in New York and Rutgers University in New Jersey, as well as for The Suffolk County Bar Association. He is a contributor of treatises on critical legal issues regarding the racing industry.
Wittstruck has been interviewed concerning racehorse ownership on NBC 4
New York, the NBC program "Jane's New York", Business Week Weekend
T.V., CNBC, CNNfn, CBS 2 New York, and News 12 Long Island, and has appeared on
the NYRA Today segment of the television program "Raceday Aqueduct",
as well as on The Paddock Show from Belmont Park. His radio appearances include
Bloomberg Radio, WRHU and WLIR. Articles concerning Mr. Wittstruck's
ownership interests and ownership educational endeavors have appeared in
The Blood-Horse Magazine, The Thoroughbred Times Magazine, TIMES: in Harness
Magazine, Newsday, The Canadian Sportsman and The Saratogian.
Chris Wittstruck, received his Bachelor of Arts degree, summa
cum laude, and his Juris Doctorate degree from Saint John's University,
New York. He is an attorney licensed to practice before the Courts of New York
State since 1982,and before the United States District Court for the Southern
and Eastern Districts of New York since 1984. He is a licensed Thoroughbred
owner in New York State, as well as a Standardbred owner licensed by the state
harness racing authorities in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and
Maryland.
In 2012, Wittstruck was a recipient of a United States Trotting Association's
President’s Award for his "... great ability to take complex issues and
present them in a manner we can all understand."
