Meadow wins inaugural Rippey Award for Handicapping Media
Longtime handicapper and author Barry Meadow has secured the first-ever
Ron Rippey Award for Handicapping Media for his piece, “Statistics and
Garbage,” that appeared in the Horseplayers Association of North America
newsletter.
Brisnet.com will present Meadow with the Rippey Award and a $1,000 cash
prize at the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters dinner on Wednesday, October
29, at The Derby in Arcadia, California.
“My goal in the article was to help handicappers think about the statistics
they consider every day and encourage them to ask the right questions,” said
Meadow, who is best known for his Money Secrets at the Racetrack and as a
horseplayer advocate. “I’m delighted that articles aimed at players now have
their own separate category for recognition. Sure, the game needs owners and
breeders and trainers and all the rest, but it’s great that pieces designed to
help handicappers will be honored as well.”
Two entries received honorable mentions from judges Steve Byk, Jessica
Chapel, and Paul Rolfes: Byron King for “Which Trainers Produce with Horses
4-to-1 or Less” that appeared in Daily Racing Form, and Nick Tammaro for
“Pace is Key in Jockey Club Gold Cup Showdown” that appeared on
ThoroughbredRacing.com.
“An interesting group of entries with many taking different approaches but
almost all providing valuable insights to their intended audiences,” Rolfes said
of the Rippey Award submissions. “(Meadow’s) ‘Statistics and Garbage’ gets the
top nod for providing some keen insights into what Mark Twain might call ‘lies,
damned lies, and statistics.'”
The inaugural Ron Rippey Award for Handicapping Media was open to any
article, blog post, or video pertaining to handicapping published — in print or
online — in the past year.
“Handicapping horse races is both an art and a science, and the ability to
produce compelling content about the topic is a specialty that deserves
recognition,” Brisnet.com Director of Marketing Ed DeRosa said. “We not only
want to acknowledge the good work done in this regard but also encourage people
to continue to produce this type of content, and who better to honor than
successful handicapper and newspaper columnist Ron Rippey.”
Rippey won the 2006 National Handicapping Championship, was a 10-time
qualifier for the prestigious annual event, and a beloved regular on the contest
circuit. He also wrote about racing and made picks for the Newark Star-Ledger
and contributed Spotlight Selections to Brisnet.com for major race days. Rippey
died August 26.
For more information on attending the NTWAB dinner, visit
NTWAB.org.
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