MANALAPAN,
NJ – November 19, 2013 – Bergen Record columnist John Brennan has been
selected to receive the Harness Horsemen International’s Clyde Hirt Media Award
for 2013.
Brennan
and two others will be honored at the HHI’s Awards Luncheon at the Embassy
Suites Deerfield Beach Resort & Spa, Deerfield Beach, FL on March 5, 2014.
“I’m very appreciative of this honor, especially because my focus
on horse racing has more to do with ‘off-track’ issues than previous winners
have had,” said Brennan. “I realize that the fate of the Meadowlands
Racetrack has been very much a focus of standardbred horsemen throughout North
America for the past five years or so. This year, progress on the track’s new
grandstand, as well as the legal battle by New Jersey to add Vegas-style sports
betting to state tracks and casinos, have drawn numerous visitors in the
industry to the Meadowlands Matters blog. I’ll continue to try to
keep everyone up to speed on what’s going on off the track.”
Meadowlands
Matters
[www.northjersey.com/Brennan] was selected “Best Blog” by the New Jersey Press
Association in February 2011. Brennan was also a 2008 Pulitzer Prize
finalist for local news reporting for an investigative piece with co-writer
Jeff Pillets.
The
Riverdale, NJ resident has been on the “beat” since 2002 and a reporter for the
Bergen Record since 1983. He is a magna cum laude graduate of Fairleigh
Dickinson University.
“His
reporting and blog, Meadowlands Matters, are must read for those
concerned about the fate of the New Jersey horse racing industry,” said HHI
President Tom Luchento, who is also president of the Standardbred Breeders
& Owners Association of New Jersey. “In an era of diminishing
journalism, he is one of the last true reporters with a beat that embraces
harness racing with equal concern to the NFL, NHL, NBA and other major sports.”
In
addition to Brennan, HHI will be honoring Don Marean & Robert Schmitz.
“Each
of these men have made a substantial impact on the sport of harness racing,”
said Luchento. “These three individuals have worked tirelessly on behalf of the
standardbred industry—each in their own respective niches—and all should be
applauded for their efforts.”
Don
Marean is being honored with the 2013 HHI Appreciation Award. Marean is a
longtime breeder and owner of standardbreds and is a United States Trotting
Association director. He is also a director of the Maine Harness
Horsemen’s Association.
He
was instrumental in establishing the USTA’s Save Our Standardbreds (SOS) Program
and is a former president of the Maine Standardbred Breeders and Owners
Association.
As
a four-year member of the Maine House of Representatives, he was a spokesman
for the harness racing industry. Marean is also a member of the Maine
Farm Bureau Horse Council and was appointed by the governor to serve on the
Animal Welfare Advisory Council.
Robert
Schmitz is the chairman of the Ohio State Racing Commission and is being
honored as HHI’s 2013 Man of the Year. Schmitz has been involved in the Ohio
harness racing industry for nearly five decades as an owner, breeder and fan
and was the lead lobbyist for the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association from 1976
until he was appointed by the governor to serve as chairman of the Ohio Racing
Commission in 2012. His efforts regarding VLT legislation and standards
have been invaluable to Ohio horsemen.
-Submitted
by Carol Hodes for SBOANJ with notes/quotes from HHI/Kim Rinker
