Bergen Record columnist John Brennan has been selected to receive the Harness Horsemen International’s Clyde Hirt Media Award for 2013.

Brennan and two others will be honoured at the HHI’s Awards Luncheon at the Embassy Suites Deerfield Beach Resort & Spa, Deerfield Beach, FL on March 5, 2014.

“I’m very appreciative of this honour, especially because my focus on horse racing has more to do with ‘off-track’ issues than previous winners have had,” said Brennan. “I realize that the fate of the Meadowlands Racetrack has been very much a focus of standardbred horsemen throughout North America for the past five years or so. This year, progress on the track’s new grandstand, as well as the legal battle by New Jersey to add Vegas-style sports betting to state tracks and casinos, have drawn numerous visitors in the industry to the Meadowlands Matters blog. I’ll continue to try to keep everyone up to speed on what’s going on off the track.”

Meadowlands Matters [www.northjersey.com/Brennan] was selected “Best Blog” by the New Jersey Press Association in February 2011. Brennan was also a 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalist for local news reporting for an investigative piece with co-writer Jeff Pillets.

The Riverdale, NJ resident has been on the “beat” since 2002 and a reporter for the Bergen Record since 1983. He is a magna cum laude graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University.

“His reporting and blog, Meadowlands Matters, are must read for those concerned about the fate of the New Jersey horse racing industry,” said HHI President Tom Luchento, who is also president of the Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey. “In an era of diminishing journalism, he is one of the last true reporters with a beat that embraces harness racing with equal concern to the NFL, NHL, NBA and other major sports.”

In addition to Brennan, HHI will be honouring Don Marean & Robert Schmitz.

“Each of these men have made a substantial impact on the sport of harness racing,” said Luchento. “These three individuals have worked tirelessly on behalf of the standardbred industry - each in their own respective niches - and all should be applauded for their efforts.”

Don Marean is being honoured with the 2013 HHI Appreciation Award. Marean is a longtime breeder and owner of standardbreds and is a United States Trotting Association director. He is also a director of the Maine Harness Horsemen’s Association.

He was instrumental in establishing the USTA’s Save Our Standardbreds (SOS) Program and is a former president of the Maine Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association.

As a four-year member of the Maine House of Representatives, he was a spokesman for the harness racing industry. Marean is also a member of the Maine Farm Bureau Horse Council and was appointed by the governor to serve on the Animal Welfare Advisory Council.

Robert Schmitz is the chairman of the Ohio State Racing Commission and is being honoured as HHI’s 2013 Man of the Year. Schmitz has been involved in the Ohio harness racing industry for nearly five decades as an owner, breeder and fan and was the lead lobbyist for the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association from 1976 until he was appointed by the governor to serve as chairman of the Ohio Racing Commission in 2012. His efforts regarding VLT legislation and standards have been invaluable to Ohio horsemen.

(SBOANJ)