Standardbred Canada is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2013 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. 2013 marks the sixth year for this program.

The finalists in the Outstanding Written Work category are Paul Delean for ’Reaching Improbable Heights’ and Lauren Lee for ‘Still Standing.’

Reaching Improbable Heights, written by Paul Delean, was published in the December, 2012 issue of Trot Magazine. It tells the story of trotter Intimidate’s incredible journey from obscurity to harness racing’s biggest stage and the ride of a lifetime that two smalltime owners from Quebec are still pinching themselves over.

Still Standing was published in the November 15, 2012 issue of The Canadian Sportsman, and tells the amazing story of how a caring owner, fast-acting trainer and a team of capable vets fought extraordinary odds to save the life of Phoos Boy, who suffered a gunshot wound to his neck.

Standardbred Canada’s video feature ’Where Are They Now? - Apaches Fame’ and Woodbine Entertainment’s 2013 North America Cup broadcast in HD are the two finalists in the Outstanding Video, Film or Broadcast category.

Where Are They Now? - Apaches Fame was published on June 12, 2013 on the Standardbred Canada website. To kick off its new ’Where Are They Now?’ series, Standardbred Canada tracked down the then 26-year-old Apaches Fame for an update on the horse that brought a busload of fans from rural Ontario to the 1990 North America Cup and proved to the world that Canadian-bred horses are among the best. Apaches Fame passed away on October 1, 2013. The feature was produced by Brittney Mayotte and Jeff Porchak.

Where Are They Now? - Apaches Fame

Woodbine Entertainment Group’s North America Cup broadcast aired across Canada on The Score television network on Saturday, June 26, 2013. The one-hour special of the $1-million North America Cup was the first live high definition broadcast of a standardbred race in Canada. The show featured live race coverage of the main event, a feature on Marvin Katz (co-owner of eventual winner Captaintreacherous) and a profile of a very special racing fan – Sydney Weaver. The broadcast was a production of WEG’s broadcast department, produced by Rob Platts and directed by Kris Platts.

WEG’s 2013 North America Cup Broadcast

Clive Cohen’s sunset photo of a horse warming up and Ann MacNeill’s shot of a horse watching racing action are the finalists in the Outstanding Photography category.

Clive Cohen captured the sunset behind trainer Rene Dion warming up Ocean Mist Beauty on September 19, 2013 at Mohawk Racetrack. The image was published on WEG’s Facebook page later that night.

Ann MacNeill’s shot of a racetrack’s parade horse watching a race during Old Home Week at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at Charlottetown Driving Park was the cover of the 2013 issue of Trot Magazine.

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 its thanks and appreciation to everyone that submitted entries for the Media Awards and to all of the judges.

Judges in the Outstanding Written Work Category included Dave Perkins, longtime sports columnist who recently retired from the Toronto Star, Dan Ralph, Sports reporter at Canadian Press and Michelle Staples, author and horse safety specialist.

Veteran broadcaster Al Craig, currently the colour commentator for the Hamilton Bulldogs; Brad Diamond, of Bradford Productions, producer of numerous award-winning programs, including ‘Motoring,’ a weekly national half-hour magazine style television program on TSN and The Sports Network; and Dave Rutherford, a broadcasting agent and consultant and 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; Brandon Hall, executive assistant with the Ontario Equine Federation; and Barbara Sheridan, an award-winning freelance writer and photographer and former associate editor of Horse Care 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, February 8, 2014 at the Delta Prince Edward and PEI Convention Centre in Charlottetown, PE.