The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Daily Racing Form
and the National Turf Writers Association on Tuesday announced that Sean Clancy,
veteran racing journalist in the Middle Atlantic region, has won the 2009 Media
Eclipse Award for Writing in the News/Commentary category for his column “Life’s
Work,” about the gamut of emotions he felt while attending an estate sale of the
late Hall of Fame trainer Sidney Watters Jr. in 2008. The entry appeared in the
January 3, 2009 edition of The Blood-Horse.
“It’s a real thrill for anyone in the business to win an Eclipse Award,” said
Clancy, a Wilmington, Delaware, native who currently resides in Middleburg,
Virginia. “It’s the pinnacle to win one, whether it’s as a jockey or a trainer
or for writing. It’s always out there, and you’re always chasing after it.
“Sidney Watters was an amazing horseman and gentleman, who represented a
different era as a sportsman. My mentors, and people I respected like Leo
O’Brien and Dickie Small, always talked about him and his legacy. He trained
champions on the flat and over jumps, which is pretty special. I feel like I’m
always trying to bridge that same gap.”
After attending the estate sale, Clancy ran into fellow writer Josh Pons at a
local Timonium, Maryland, restaurant. Pons strongly encouraged Clancy to write a
column about his experiences, “more or less for the therapy,” Clancy recalls.
“There were piles of things there, from halters to trophies to winner’s circle
photos.”
This is the first Media Eclipse Award for Clancy, who is co-publisher of
Steeplechase Times and The Saratoga Special. Clancy was also a
steeplechase jockey from 1988-2000, and was champion steeplechase jockey in
1998.
Honorable mention in the Writing — News/Commentary category went to
four-time Media Eclipse Award winner Jay Hovdey, for his column “No Choice but
to Rise to the Top” about the passing of Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel,
which appeared on the Daily Racing Form website on November 16, 2009.
The panel of judges for the Writing — News/Commentary category was comprised
of Reid Cherner, USA Today; Ed Schuyler, former Associated Press racing
writer and Paul Moran, former Newsday racing columnist.
The 39th Annual Eclipse Awards will be held on January 18 at the Beverly
Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.