TURF member Keith McCalmont (http://www.tripledeadheat.ca/) was recently
announced as a finalist for a prestigious Sovereign Award for Outstanding
Newspaper Story for his story, Emma’s
Great Excaper, published on Woodbineentertainment.com on November 2, 2011.
“It is an honour to be nominated for this award
alongside a pair of talented, Sovereign Award winning, writers such as Beverley
Smith and Allan Besson,” said McCalmont of the nomination.
Ostensibly a preview of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, the
story was a rare glimpse into the development of a potential champion and the
bond between horse and rider. While finishing second in the
Juvenile Turf, the 33-1 long shot ran a determined race, validating trainer Ian
Black’s decision to retain Breeders’ Cup rookie Emma-Jayne Wilson, Excaper’s
regular pilot, in the horse’s biggest race to date.
“I'm forever thankful to jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson
who made telling this story a simple task,” McCalmont
continued. “Emma generously shared the details of the months of
conditioning, engineered by trainer Ian Black that went into building
up a Breeders' Cup calibre horse. My job, as a writer sharing her
anecdotes, was simply to stay out of the way. I won't soon forget the
smile on Emma's face following their second-place finish in the Juvenile Turf,
or the kiss that an exuberant Black planted on her cheek during
the post-race interview. Little moments like that are what horse racing
is all about.”
“This is the third straight year that Keith has been
nominated for a Sovereign Award,” said Valerie Grash, founding member of the
international bloggers’ group, “and we couldn’t be prouder of his achievements.
His unique insider’s view of Woodbine racing, along with his deep love of the
sport, permeates his writing and allows him to bring to light stories of
extraordinary depth and clarity.”
Sovereign Award winners will be announced at a ceremony on
April 5, 2012 at Woodbine Race Track in Toronto.
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