Standardbred Canada is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2012 Media Excellence Awards.

The Media Excellence Awards program is aimed at honouring those who have, through one piece of exceptional work, covered Canadian harness racing in a manner that is extraordinary and of broad national appeal. 2012 marks the fifth year for this program.

The finalists in the Outstanding Written Work category are 'The Prevention and Management of Equine Gastric Ulcers' written by Lindsay Day and 'The Power of Twitter-Handicapping' by Greg Gangle.

Exhibition Drive produced by Jason Arsenault and Jeremy Larter of PEI and a feature on the great Cam Fella, produced by Linda Rainey, The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame and Paul Salvalaggio, Woodbine Entertainment Group, are the two finalists in the Outstanding Broadcast category.

Claus Andersen’s photo of racing action at The Raceway at Western Fair District and Michael Burns shot of a harness horse training on a misty morning are the finalists in the Outstanding Photography category.

'The Prevention and Management of Equine Gastric Ulcers', written by Lindsay Day was published in the February 2012 issue of Trot. Lindsay is a Registered Equine Massage Therapist who also researches and writes articles on horse health for Trot, Canadian Thoroughbred, Horse Sport and Racing Quarterly.

'The Power Of Twitter-Handicapping' was published on sportsnet.ca on May 18, 2012 by Greg Gangle. Greg has been the Communications Coordinator at Woodbine Entertainment Group since June 2010.

The Cam Fella feature was initially produced for the 2012 Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame Awards Gala to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Cam Fella’s sophomore season. It also aired on The Score as part of the Canadian Pacing Derby/Metro Pace broadcast on Saturday, September 1, 2012. It was a joint effort of The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame and Woodbine Entertainment Group.

Exhibition Drive, produced by Jeremy Larter and Jason Arsenault is a harness racing documentary focused on the nine-day countdown to the Gold Cup and Saucer race in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Filmed during Old Home Week in August of 2011, Exhibition Drive examines the importance of harness racing in Charlottetown and how it brings the city together for one of the most prestigious harness racing events in Canada.

Claus Andersen’s dynamic photograph of racing action at The Raceway at Western Fair was published in the April 17, 2012 edition of The Canadian Sportsman. Andersen, who resides in London, Ontario, and is a regular contributor to the Sportsman, has been a two time winner in this category.

Sovereign award winning photographer Michael Burns, and the resident thoroughbred track photographer for the Woodbine Entertainment Group, is a first time finalist for a Media Excellence Award. Burns’ shot of Dustin Jones and Prestidigitator on a misty morning was published on the WEG website.

The six finalists were the top two point earners in their respective categories, scored by a panel of esteemed judges.

Standardbred Canada would like to extend their thanks and appreciation to all of the judges.

Judges in the Outstanding Written Work Category included Amy Harris, Editor of Horse Canada, Dave Perkins, longtime Toronto Star sports columnist, and Michelle Staples, author and horse safety specialist.

Veteran broadcaster Al Craig, currently the Colour Commentator for the Hamilton Bulldogs, Sean Cowan, a broadcaster for CHCH Television and Dave Rutherford, former executive producer of The Fight Network, were the judges for the Broadcast Category.

Skip Dickstein, a past Eclipse Award winner and staff photographer at the Albany Times Union, Barbara Sheridan, an award-winning freelance writer and photographer and former associate editor of Horse Care Magazine, and Setareh Sarmad, associate photo editor at The Score Magazine scored the submissions for the Outstanding Photography category.

The winners will be announced and presented with their unique trophies at the annual O’Brien Awards gala on Saturday, January 26, 2013 at the Delta Meadowvale Hotel.