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Chris Wittstruck among finalists for Bergstein Writing Award

Chris Wittstruck among finalists for Bergstein Writing Award
Thursday, November 05, 2015 - from the USTA Communications Department


Columbus, OH --- Standardbred Owners Association of New York Director and Attorney Chris Wittstruck has been named one of eight finalists for the annual $25,000 Stan Bergstein Writing Award for 2015.

Wittstruck's story Watching the Cheaters Cheat appeared on the U.S. Trotting Association's website, www.ustrotting.com, on Nov. 3, 2014 and asserted that catching drug cheats in the act can be the most effective means of deterrence.

The award, presented annually by Team Valor from Versailles, Ky., is for any story about horse racing in North America published in print or online between Nov. 2, 2014 and Nov. 1, 2015.

The award presentation scheduled for next Thursday (Nov. 12) at Fasig-Tipton in Lexington is open to the public and will include speeches from harness racing's Jeff Gural, operator of The Meadowlands, Tioga Downs and Vernon Downs, and Ben Nichols of the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Please RSVP to Jessica Berry at jessica@teamvalor.com.

Four of the other seven candidates are from the Paulick Report, with publisher Ray Paulick picking up three nominations and Natalie Voss accounting for the other. Paulick won the Stan Bergstein Award in 2013.

The full list of nominations to be weighed by judges Randy Moss of NBC Sports, Steve Haskin of the Blood-Horse, owner-breeder George Strawbridge, publicist Lynne Snierson and Santa Anita Park's Jon White are:

Watching the Cheaters Cheat by Chris Wittstruck, the United States Trotting Association

New York's Drug Testing Has Its Own 'Style' by Natalie Voss, The Paulick Report

Upon Further Review: Indiana Program Exposes Need For Additional Scrutiny of Testing Labs by Frank Angst, the Blood-Horse

RCI Chairman Takes Hypocritical Stance on Federal Racing Bills by Ray Paulick, The Paulick Report

Pletcher Overage That Wasn't Has Major Implications for Racing by Doug McCoy and Frank Vespe, The Racing Biz

Twice Banned For Buzzers, Chapa Under Investigation in Texas by Ray Paulick, The Paulick Report

Horse Fails Drug Tests in Consecutive Starts by Frank Angst, the Blood-Horse

Gorajec Dismissal Would Be An Assault on Racing's Integrity by Ray Paulick, The Paulick Report

Team Valor CEO Barry Irwin created the $25,000 award in 2011 to honor Bergstein's hard-hitting writing for Daily Racing Form. Lucas Marquardt of the Thoroughbred Daily News received the 2014 Stan Bergstein Writing Award for a story on synthetic racetracks.


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